Ferrari left the 2026 United States Grand Prix with more points than any other constructor, confirming the progress made with its updated SF-26. However, despite the improved performance and Charles Leclerc’s impressive race in Austin, the Italian team continues to pay a significant price for mistakes in qualifying and setup decisions. The recurring weakness may already have compromised three potential victories this season, even if starting further forward would not necessarily have guaranteed success.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, appears to have moved another step closer to the Formula 1 world championship. The Mercedes driver departed Austin following another remarkably composed performance, emerging alongside Charles Leclerc as one of the outstanding drivers of the race. Both extracted impressive speed from their cars while maintaining consistency and managing their tyres effectively throughout the Grand Prix.
Ferrari and Mercedes were both able to run their latest upgrade packages in Austin, receiving encouraging indications about their respective developments. The updated Ferrari SF-26 performed well, while Mercedes found an effective operating window with Andrea Kimi Antonelli. However, the German team has not yet answered every question concerning the behaviour of its revised car.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli made excellent use of the balance achieved by Mercedes. The remaining question is how broad that performance window actually is and whether it can be reproduced under different conditions. Austin provided an important reference point, but the process of fully understanding the updated car is not yet complete.
Ferrari SF-26 gains around two tenths but qualifying mistakes waste potential
Charles Leclerc delivered an equally impressive performance in Austin, making full use of a Ferrari that proved more competitive over the race distance. The latest development package has reportedly made the SF-26 approximately two tenths of a second faster, providing greater front-end performance and helping the car turn into corners and rotate more effectively.
However, the improvement also requires more precise balance management. Ferrari was unable to exploit the package to its full potential, with mistakes in assessing the front-wing configuration affecting both qualifying and the race. Some of the team’s engineers were reportedly dissatisfied because part of the available performance had been left unused.
The problem became particularly significant during Q3. Tyre preparation and changing wind conditions influenced the car’s balance, making it more difficult to extract the additional front-end performance provided by the upgrade. The increased front-end response needed to be managed more effectively, particularly on the final qualifying attempt.
This remains the most expensive limitation of Ferrari’s season. Qualifying has already compromised three opportunities in which the team arguably possessed enough race pace to fight for victory. These were not guaranteed wins that disappeared simply because the cars started further down the grid, but occasions when starting position prevented Ferrari from fully exploiting its competitiveness.
Austin provided another illustration of the problem. Starting behind rivals complicates race management and reduces strategic freedom, even when the underlying car performance is strong. Ferrari’s qualifying-to-race performance statistics offer a broader perspective on how the Scuderia has converted its starting positions into Grand Prix results throughout the season.
If Ferrari wants to turn its recent technical progress into victories, greater precision will be required in both decision-making and execution. Finding performance through upgrades is only part of the challenge; the team must also ensure that it can consistently extract those gains when they matter most.
Ferrari scores more points than any rival as Lewis Hamilton loses podium opportunity
Despite those missed opportunities, Ferrari emerged from Austin with the largest points haul of any constructor. It was an important team result, with both drivers contributing to a successful weekend that demonstrated the SF-26’s improved competitiveness.
Charles Leclerc was Ferrari’s main reference point, delivering a particularly strong race and confirming the progress made by the Italian team. The performance also strengthened the argument that Ferrari can still fight for victories in 2026 if it manages to make better use of its available potential.
Lewis Hamilton also had a realistic opportunity to finish on the podium. Without the intervention of the Virtual Safety Car, the seven-time world champion was considered capable of securing a top-three finish. The neutralisation changed the dynamics of his race and prevented Ferrari from potentially collecting an even greater number of points.
The result nevertheless represented an encouraging step for Maranello. Both cars were competitive, and the improvement in Ferrari’s race pace at Austin provided further evidence that the latest developments have moved the SF-26 in the right direction.
Red Bull makes unusual tyre strategy mistake in Austin
While Ferrari improved its competitiveness, Red Bull suffered from an unusually inaccurate reading of the race. Strategic execution has frequently been one of the team’s strengths, but its decisions in Austin did not produce the expected results.
Neither the selected race tyre nor the strategy designed around it proved effective. Committing to the less competitive compound limited the options available to the pit wall and made it difficult to correct the initial approach as the Grand Prix unfolded.
In such a closely contested race, those decisions prevented Max Verstappen’s team from exploiting part of its potential. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc, by contrast, made better use of the opportunities available to them, combining strong performances with more effective tyre management.
Ferrari faces rear overheating and cooling concerns at the 2026 Mexico GP
Ferrari’s next challenge will come at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where the characteristics of the circuit are expected to make life particularly difficult for its power unit. The weekend will also provide another important test of the SF-26 upgrades, allowing the Italian team to understand whether the operating window has widened enough to deliver competitive performance at a circuit with very different demands from Austin.
At approximately 2,240 metres above sea level, overheating is expected to be the principal concern, particularly around the rear of the car. Engineers can estimate the loss of efficiency caused by the environmental conditions, but reliability remains a less predictable variable. Understanding the expected performance deficit does not automatically provide certainty about how well individual components will withstand the conditions.
As a result, teams are expected to adopt larger bodywork configurations with more generous cooling openings to help hot air escape. These measures provide additional cooling capacity but come at an aerodynamic cost, forcing engineers to balance thermal management against the need to maintain sufficient performance.
Regenerative braking could offer a more encouraging aspect of the challenge. The energy-recovery system, which stores energy during braking, is expected to benefit from a higher average operating temperature. However, that potential advantage will have to be assessed alongside the broader thermal demands imposed by the circuit.
The cooling and grip challenges awaiting Ferrari in Mexico therefore represent a significant change from the conditions encountered during the United States Grand Prix.
Ferrari could bring back distinctive rear-wing elements in Mexico
Ferrari could also reintroduce the distinctive Christmas tree-style appendages on its rear wing if additional downforce is required. The configuration is currently considered borderline, meaning its use is far from certain and will depend on the team’s assessment of the circuit’s demands.
Another consideration concerns the power unit. Unless Ferrari encounters a particularly poor performance, the team would currently prefer to avoid taking a penalty associated with introducing a new unit. Such a change is theoretically expected before the end of the season, although the precise timing remains uncertain and depends partly on how many races are ultimately left to contest.
For Maranello, Mexico will therefore be about more than simply confirming the progress made in Austin. The team must determine whether the SF-26’s improved performance can be maintained under substantially different conditions while balancing cooling requirements, aerodynamic efficiency and reliability.
Ferrari has demonstrated that it can compete more effectively with the leading teams, but converting that potential into victories still requires greater consistency and precision. Mexico represents another demanding examination for the updated SF-26, at a circuit that appears, at least on paper, more complicated for the Italian team than Austin.
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