Ferrari has identified several targeted changes to the SF-26 ahead of qualifying at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix as the Maranello team looks for the extra performance needed to fight at the front. Practice at Monza has highlighted the delicate compromise between handling and maximum straight-line speed, with braking balance, differential settings and hybrid energy deployment all emerging as areas where further gains could be found.
The SF-26 delivered genuinely encouraging feedback during the opening practice sessions, but Ferrari believes there is still more potential to unlock. At a circuit such as Monza, reducing aerodynamic drag is essential for top speed, yet taking load away from the car inevitably makes the balance more difficult to manage through the braking zones and chicanes. The challenge is therefore to refine the car without sacrificing the efficiency that the Scuderia needs to counter a particularly competitive Mercedes.
Ferrari’s Monza qualifying plan focuses on perfect execution
The information gathered during the opening sessions at Monza has clearly highlighted the different technical approaches teams have adopted when building their set-ups. Ferrari’s priority is now execution: extracting the maximum from the package it has chosen rather than fundamentally changing its philosophy.
The experience at Zandvoort remains particularly relevant. Ferrari lost its way during Saturday at the Dutch Grand Prix and was unable to make the performance step that Mercedes and McLaren managed to find, subsequently compromising its race. That makes the preparation between Friday and Saturday particularly important at Monza.
Overnight work in the driver-in-the-loop simulator was therefore crucial, especially for the Scuderia. Although the first two practice sessions produced very positive indications for the SF-26, several details still needed refinement. The aim remained unchanged: make another performance step before qualifying and give the drivers a package capable of fighting closer to the front.
FP3 was expected to provide the true test of whether Ferrari had successfully increased its single-lap pace. The central objective was to understand how to extract the maximum potential from the SF-26, a complicated task even though the working group led by Frederic Vasseur had already identified a couple of specific areas requiring intervention.
Ferrari targets SF-26 handling with brake balance and differential changes
From a handling perspective, the Italian car showed a very good overall balance during practice, although it retained a natural tendency towards oversteer. Ferrari’s decision to reduce aerodynamic load in order to maximise straight-line speed inevitably introduced some compromises elsewhere on the lap.
Charles Leclerc, in particular, reported a degree of instability when entering the Prima Variante. That behaviour prompted targeted adjustments using the controls available on the steering wheel, rather than suggesting that the basic balance of the car required a major rethink.
One of the main tools was the brake balance. Ferrari moved it further towards the front axle in an effort to stabilise the rear of the SF-26 under braking. The differential was also closed more through the middle of the corner, helping to provide additional stability during the initial rotation phase leading towards the second kerb.
These adjustments are particularly important at Monza because Ferrari has deliberately pursued a low-drag configuration. The Scuderia has already worked to reduce drag and increase the SF-26’s efficiency, but every aerodynamic gain on the straights has to be balanced against the driver confidence required under heavy braking.
Away from that specific weakness, the car appeared extremely solid around the rest of the circuit. The SF-26 was effective on corner entry and capable of making full use of its strong mechanical grip. Even so, there remained fractions of a second to find, and those small gains could prove crucial in compensating for the sections where Mercedes has looked particularly competitive.
Ferrari and Mercedes choose opposite hybrid deployment strategies
The contrast becomes even more interesting when hybrid energy management is considered. Ferrari has followed an almost completely opposite approach to its direct rivals, demonstrating that the leading teams are not converging on a single solution for distributing electrical energy around a Monza lap.
Mercedes, for example, used a Friday mapping designed to deliver greater power across the earlier acceleration zones. The approach favoured the opening sections of the circuit and the stretch from Lesmo 2 towards the Variante Ascari, allowing the W17 to exploit more performance earlier in the lap.
Ferrari instead tended to deploy less electrical energy in those areas. The Scuderia preserved part of its available deployment for the exit of Ascari, using it to improve acceleration along the long run towards the Parabolica.
That strategy produced a notable advantage of approximately two tenths of a second in that particular part of the circuit. Ferrari’s approach therefore reflects the wider importance of Power Unit efficiency and energy management on the SF-26, rather than focusing exclusively on peak combustion-engine performance.
However, there is a clear trade-off. The deficit accumulated across the two preceding acceleration zones approaches three tenths, meaning Ferrari still has unused potential to optimise in terms of deployment. The challenge is to determine whether redistributing some of that electrical energy can improve the overall lap without removing the late-lap advantage currently enjoyed by the car.
Ferrari searches for the best compromise before Monza qualifying
McLaren has adopted something of an intermediate philosophy, combining elements of the Ferrari and Mercedes approaches while placing greater emphasis on using energy through the middle sector. The contrast underlines how differently teams are interpreting one of the defining performance challenges at Monza.
For Ferrari, the task is therefore not simply to add more power. Charles Leclerc’s assessment of the Ferrari engine and floor developments for the Italian Grand Prix forms part of a broader picture in which aerodynamic efficiency, mechanical grip, braking stability and energy deployment all have to work together.
The latest Power Unit work has also focused on areas beyond headline horsepower, including Ferrari’s ADUO-2 turbo and compressor development. Monza represents an especially demanding test because improvements in efficiency can translate directly into performance across the circuit’s extended full-throttle sections.
The Scuderia therefore approaches qualifying with a fundamentally competitive car but several small corrections still to perfect. Stabilising the SF-26 at the Prima Variante, optimising the brake balance and differential settings, and refining the distribution of electrical energy could collectively provide the step Ferrari is searching for.
There is no single dramatic change expected to transform the car. Instead, the opportunity lies in combining several marginal gains and producing the cleanest possible lap. With Mercedes particularly strong in some of Monza’s key acceleration zones, those details could determine whether Ferrari can convert the SF-26’s encouraging practice potential into a genuine fight at the front.
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