Australian GP 2026 | Ferrari unable to complete full practice program, Ioverno reveals why: “I hope there will be time to…”
Diego Ioverno reflected on Ferrari’s Friday practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix, where the Scuderia can consider itself reasonably satisfied with the work completed. The Ferrari sporting director shared his thoughts and impressions following the opening day of running in Melbourne.
The new Formula 1 season has officially begun with the first free practice sessions of the Australian Grand Prix now in the books. Ferrari concluded the opening day at the Melbourne circuit without encountering any major problems, which is certainly a positive sign considering the regulatory changes that have placed every team under significant pressure. Ioverno therefore explained the work carried out during Friday’s sessions and outlined what the team must do to prepare as effectively as possible for qualifying and Sunday’s race.
Ferrari appears to be continuing along the same path seen during pre-season testing. The SF-26 continues to rack up valuable mileage, which is an important factor at the beginning of a new regulatory cycle in Formula 1. During the morning session, discussions about on-track performance also began to emerge, even though the true competitive order will only become clearer once qualifying takes place.
Regardless of what happens during this race weekend, the Scuderia from Maranello seems to have taken the right direction with its new car, and the key now will be to continue working consistently along this path.
Ferrari, Diego Ioverno speaks after Australian practice
“I think it was a solid day. We didn’t encounter any major problems and we almost managed to complete the planned runs. There is a lot of work to do and plenty of data to analyze, but overall it was a solid day. The drivers found the day very intense, very challenging, with many things to learn. They completed the runs, so they are satisfied with the day, but there is still a long road ahead of us as we continue to analyze the data and try to improve for tomorrow.”
Once again, Diego Ioverno highlighted the strong reliability shown by the car as well as the quality of the work carried out by Ferrari’s technical staff in Maranello. As soon as the SF-26 hit the track during the first practice session, the car appeared to be very well balanced. Later in FP2, however, the team experienced a few more difficulties while also trying some different setup solutions.
“Because of traffic we didn’t really manage to do everything we would have liked, but it’s difficult for everyone to get a clean run. Historically it is always a challenge: the track is short, there are 22 cars, traffic, and constant track evolution.”
“Are we happy? We are satisfied with the work done today. As for happiness, we will wait. It will be a long weekend and a long season. I hope there will be time to be happy, but right now we need to stay focused.”
However, it is still fair to say that Ferrari has started this new campaign on a positive note, regardless of what the rivals’ performance levels may turn out to be.
The base of the SF-26 appears to be solid, and as also stated by Loic Serra, the real difference throughout the season will likely be made through the development of the car. Moreover, the situation is expected to change further from Friday to Saturday, as the engineers analyze the large amount of data collected during practice in order to improve the car’s performance.
The main objective will be to maximize the potential of the car, and only afterwards will the final result be evaluated. Speaking about the feedback from the drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, Diego Ioverno added: “They both found the sessions challenging and intense, with a lot to learn because everything is new here for everyone. They completed the runs, so they are satisfied with the day.”
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