Has Ferrari’s SF-26 genuinely taken a step forward? We take a closer look at the technical evolution of the car following the Grands Prix in Barcelona, Austria and Silverstone to understand what has truly improved and what to expect at Spa-Francorchamps.
Can three Grands Prix be enough to determine whether a Formula 1 car has genuinely turned a corner? That is the question surrounding Ferrari after its victory at Silverstone and the encouraging signs that have emerged over the past few weeks.
Success at the British Grand Prix has naturally fuelled excitement among Ferrari fans, but focusing solely on the race result tells only part of the story. The real evolution of the SF-26 actually began much earlier and can only be fully understood by analysing the technical path the team followed through Barcelona, Austria and Silverstone.
Barcelona: the lowest point of the season
The Spanish Grand Prix exposed virtually every weakness of Ferrari’s package. The SF-26 struggled with tyre management, found it difficult to maintain consistent race pace and, above all, continued to show limitations in energy deployment throughout the lap. Mercedes looked significantly more complete, while Ferrari appeared to be chasing its rivals rather than challenging them.
At that stage, talking about fighting for victories seemed far too optimistic.
Austria: the first concrete signs of progress
The Red Bull Ring weekend marked the first genuine shift in momentum.
Ferrari displayed greater overall efficiency, particularly through the high-speed corners, suggesting that the upgrades introduced to the SF-26 were finally beginning to deliver the expected performance. Although the car was still not operating at Mercedes‘ level, it started losing much less time in the areas where it had been struggling only a few weeks earlier.
It was the first real indication that the project was finally entering the operating window the engineers had targeted.
Silverstone: more than just a victory
Silverstone provided the strongest confirmation yet.
Beyond the race win itself, the most impressive aspect was Ferrari’s consistency throughout the entire weekend. The SF-26 demonstrated improved tyre degradation management, greater aerodynamic stability and, perhaps most importantly, significantly more effective energy management than it had shown earlier in the season.
These are precisely the areas that often receive less attention than outright lap times, yet they represent the most meaningful step forward in the car’s overall performance.
What has really changed on the SF-26?
Rather than undergoing a technical revolution, Ferrari appears to have found the right balance between several key elements of the car.
The most noticeable improvements include:
- More efficient Power Unit energy management.
- A wider tyre operating window.
- Greater stability through high-speed corners.
- A more predictable setup for both drivers.
- Improved overall aerodynamic efficiency.
The result is a car that performs far more consistently throughout the entire race weekend, from qualifying to the Grand Prix itself.
Mercedes remains the benchmark
Despite Ferrari’s progress, it is probably still too early to claim that the gap has been completely closed. Mercedes continues to set the benchmark thanks to the completeness of its technical package and its ability to adapt to circuits with vastly different characteristics.
The SF-26 has undoubtedly made significant progress, but it must now prove that it can reproduce these performances on tracks that demand something entirely different.
Spa will provide the real answer
That is why Spa-Francorchamps could deliver the most important verdict of the season so far.
The Belgian circuit, with its long straights, high-speed corners and demanding energy management requirements, presents a completely different challenge compared to Silverstone.
If Ferrari can confirm its recent progress in Belgium, then it will be fair to say that the SF-26 has matured into a genuine contender capable of consistently challenging Mercedes. If not, Silverstone could ultimately be remembered as a performance that was particularly well suited to the characteristics of that specific circuit.
Ferrari’s recent growth has not been the result of a single outstanding weekend. Instead, it is the product of a development path that began in Barcelona, gathered momentum in Austria and found its strongest confirmation at Silverstone.
The technical indicators are encouraging and point towards a far more competitive car across multiple performance areas. Even so, the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix will provide the definitive test of whether the SF-26 has truly taken the step forward that Maranello has been waiting for since the start of the season.
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