Ferrari heads into the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix with renewed confidence in its SF-26 after an impressive technical performance in Mexico, where the car showed enough potential to suggest that a one-two finish was within reach. The aerodynamic upgrades introduced in Austin and subsequently refined at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez have widened the car’s operating window, but Interlagos will provide a decisive examination of the improvements.
Unlike Mexico City, the Brazilian circuit sits at a considerably lower altitude and features a more technical layout. These differences will help establish whether Ferrari’s latest gains represent genuine progress across different circuit characteristics or whether the SF-26 benefited particularly from the unusual conditions in Mexico. The key question is whether the Italian team can maintain its competitiveness when the advantages of high altitude are significantly reduced.
How Ferrari’s final aerodynamic upgrade has improved the SF-26
The Ferrari SF-26 is beginning to benefit from its fourth and final major upgrade package of the 2026 Formula 1 season, which made its debut at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Engineers at Maranello concentrated their development efforts on three fundamental areas: the underfloor and diffuser, airflow management around the sidepods, and overall aerodynamic efficiency.
Underfloor and diffuser: Even in the era following the removal of Venturi tunnels, the floor remains the principal source of efficient aerodynamic downforce. Ferrari has redesigned the deflectors, outer floor edges and diffuser geometry, including both the inlet and outlet sections. These changes have increased the downforce generated by the car’s bodywork, allowing the team to reduce wing loading and consequently limit aerodynamic drag.
Sidepod airflow management: The air intakes and sidepods have undergone substantial revisions. The lower section of the sidepods now features a more pronounced, slightly wider and more undulating profile, designed to encourage the outwash effect. This helps direct the turbulent vortices generated by the rear wheels away from the car, improving overall aerodynamic efficiency and reducing the disruption caused by unwanted airflow structures.
Overall aerodynamic efficiency: The combined effect of these modifications allows the SF-26 to generate additional downforce without an excessive drag penalty. Crucially, this has expanded the car’s effective operating window, making it more adaptable to circuits with different aerodynamic requirements.
The improvements are especially important because Ferrari’s performance has not depended solely on producing more downforce. The objective has been to achieve a more favourable balance between aerodynamic load, straight-line efficiency and stability through corners.
Ferrari 067/6 power unit: the compact turbo advantage and its limitations
Another important element of Ferrari’s recent performance concerns the characteristics of its 067/6 power unit. Compared with the architectures adopted by Mercedes and Red Bull, Ferrari uses a smaller-diameter turbocharger, an engineering choice intended to provide a more responsive power delivery.
In theory, this configuration should have offered a particular advantage at Mexico City’s altitude of 2,240 metres. The smaller turbocharger has lower rotational inertia, allowing it to respond more quickly to changes in throttle demand, a particularly relevant characteristic following the removal of the MGU-H from Formula 1’s power unit regulations.
However, telemetry analysis presented a more complicated picture. Despite the expected benefits, Ferrari was still losing approximately two to three tenths of a second on the straights, recovering ground only at the speed trap.
The car’s real strength emerged in the technical sections, where simulation data suggested an advantage of almost half a second over McLaren and Mercedes.
The responsive turbocharger nevertheless contributed indirectly to that performance. More immediate acceleration allowed Ferrari to conserve electrical energy, helping the SF-26 achieve excellent traction out of slower corners. This characteristic was further supported by a softer mechanical setup, which improved the car’s ability to put its power down effectively.
At the same time, Mexico’s thinner air helped conceal some of the SF-26’s inherent aerodynamic drag. This raises an important question ahead of Brazil: how much of Ferrari’s advantage will remain when the car encounters denser air and greater aerodynamic resistance?
Why Interlagos could expose Ferrari’s estimated 25 hp engine deficit
Interlagos sits approximately 800 metres above sea level, significantly lower than the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. As a result, the reduction in air density falls from the extreme 22% experienced in Mexico City to a more manageable 8% in São Paulo.
This change could bring Ferrari’s absolute engine power deficit back into focus. The Italian manufacturer’s V6 is estimated to produce approximately 25 horsepower less than the Mercedes power unit, a disadvantage that may become more noticeable under the conditions encountered in Brazil.
The Reta Oposta and the main pit straight are particularly important in this respect. Both are crucial acceleration zones where the Straight Mode system plays a significant role, making power delivery and aerodynamic efficiency essential to overall lap time.
Ferrari’s potential disadvantage on these straights can be examined alongside the recorded straight-line speed comparisons, although speed-trap figures alone cannot establish the size of an engine power deficit.
There is also wider context surrounding Ferrari’s power unit competitiveness, with Fred Vasseur having discussed Ferrari’s long-standing engine deficit and the decisions that have shaped the team’s development.
How Interlagos sector two could favour the Ferrari SF-26
Despite the anticipated engine disadvantage, the layout of Interlagos offers several characteristics that could suit Ferrari’s updated car.
The second sector features a sequence of medium-speed and slower corners, including longer, sustained-load sections. These are precisely the conditions in which the SF-26’s improved aerodynamic stability and traction, supported by its redesigned floor, should prove particularly valuable.
The circuit’s notoriously uneven surface also introduces another important factor. Interlagos is known for its bumps, placing considerable demands on suspension compliance and the car’s ability to absorb kerbs without sacrificing stability.
Ferrari’s more flexible mechanical setup could provide an advantage in these circumstances. If the SF-26 can maintain a stable aerodynamic platform while coping effectively with the track’s irregularities, it may be able to recover time through the technical sections even if it loses ground on the straights.
This balance between cornering performance and straight-line efficiency will be one of the most revealing aspects of the Brazilian weekend.
Pirelli’s softest tyres and Interlagos resurfacing create further challenges
Tyre management will provide another important test of Ferrari’s competitiveness. Pirelli has selected the three softest compounds in its range for the Brazilian Grand Prix: the C3 hard, C4 medium and C5 soft.
With thermal degradation expected to be particularly significant, a two-stop strategy appears almost certain. This would place considerable emphasis on maintaining consistent race pace while controlling tyre temperatures throughout each stint.
If Ferrari can reproduce the tyre management demonstrated during the North American races, the SF-26’s performance through the slower and more technical sections could become a decisive factor over a race distance.
Track conditions will also require careful attention. Sections of asphalt between Turns 3 and 5 and between Turns 8 and 9 have been resurfaced, introducing another variable in terms of grip levels and track evolution.
These changes could influence how quickly the drivers find a stable balance and how the tyres respond as the circuit develops over the weekend. The relationship between compound choice, stint length and degradation can be explored through the F1 tyre and stint analysis.
Ferrari SF-26 front wing and final aerodynamic adjustments for Brazil
Ferrari does not intend to introduce any further major development packages at Interlagos. Instead, the Maranello engineers will concentrate on small, circuit-specific aerodynamic adjustments, including fine-tuning the car’s configuration to suit the demands of the Brazilian circuit.
The aim will be to preserve the aerodynamic gains achieved through the final upgrade package while finding the most effective compromise between straight-line performance, cornering stability and tyre management.
Weather conditions and the behaviour of the resurfaced sections could still influence the competitive order. However, provided those variables do not significantly alter the balance between the teams, Interlagos should offer a much clearer indication of the SF-26’s true versatility.
After the encouraging performance in Mexico, Ferrari now faces the challenge of demonstrating that its improved aerodynamic package can remain competitive without relying on the advantages provided by extreme altitude.
The Brazilian Grand Prix could therefore establish whether the SF-26 has finally found the balance needed to challenge Red Bull and Mercedes across a wider range of circuits, rather than excelling only under particularly favourable conditions.
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