Ferrari SF-26 struggles, but Loïc Serra earns praise for reshaping Maranello. Ferrari backing Loïc Serra as SF-26 fails to deliver expected breakthrough.

Ferrari, the SF-26 is not taking off. But Loïc Serra’s work at Maranello gets approval

By the end of the summer of 2024, Ferrari had officially welcomed new technical director Loïc Serra to Maranello, following an ambitious recruitment drive led by team principal Frédéric Vasseur. The French engineer arrived to replace Enrico Cardile, who departed for Aston Martin, bringing with him a strong reputation as one of Formula 1’s most respected technical figures.

Highly regarded by the Ferrari team boss as a “top guy,” Loïc Serra built his expertise through years of experience at Michelin and Mercedes, particularly in tyre management and race operations. His arrival marked another major step in Ferrari’s restructuring process, which began in 2023 and gained even more momentum with the signing of Lewis Hamilton.

While the timing of Serra’s arrival allowed him to contribute to the SF-25 project, the car’s core concept had already been defined by his predecessors. However, his influence extended well beyond car development, with a strong focus on refining Ferrari’s internal organisation, improving workflows, and reshaping the team’s overall approach to performance.

Loïc Serra seen as a major asset for Ferrari

Throughout multiple interviews, Frédéric Vasseur has consistently highlighted Loïc Serra’s positive impact on Ferrari, even during what proved to be a disappointing campaign with a car that was both underperforming and designed before Loic Serra’s arrival.

Although 2026 represents the first season in which the former Mercedes engineer can truly shape Ferrari’s Formula 1 project from the beginning, he has already shown the mentality of a genuine racer. Serra has demonstrated an aggressive but intelligent approach to extracting performance, searching for gains in every area of the car while encouraging Ferrari’s engineers to explore innovative ideas without fear of failure.

This philosophy was recently outlined by the Ferrari team principal in an interview with British outlet The Race, where Frédéric Vasseur explained why he believes Serra has already become a valuable figure inside the Scuderia.

Frédéric Vasseur explains Ferrari’s confidence

“When you join an F1 team, you need a couple of months to adapt. It’s difficult to work on a project when you haven’t been involved from the beginning, when decisions have already been made, all while other projects are also ongoing.

“The situation was not easy, but Loïc Serra managed to stay very focused on the operations, and I think that was important for us. At times, we did a very good job last year towards the end of the season in terms of management, and that became the best possible preparation for this year: “Loïc has huge experience in racing, trackside work, and operations, also thanks to his background at Michelin. I think that represents a step forward for us. He is a real racer — always chasing the final fractions of a second everywhere. It has been a real boost for the team.”