Only a few hours remain before the first session of the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season tests, which will take place in Barcelona from tomorrow until 30 January, and the teams have already started to reveal their cards little by little. Some, like McLaren, will skip several days of running in order to maximise time spent working at the factory, while other teams will arrive at the track with an almost definitive version of their new car.
Ferrari are part of this latter group, as they will use the same SF-26 version unveiled on Friday during the opening test session in Barcelona. Then, as reported by The Race, the car will undergo a substantial update programme based on the data collected in Bahrain, before the championship moves on to Australia. In this way, the Scuderia are starting the new season on the front foot, and they have not even tried to hide the more “aggressive” aspects of their new single-seater in the official technical documentation.
In particular, as highlighted by Motorsport Italia, the technical sheet also includes the weight of the SF-26: 770 kg, just 2 kg above the minimum limit.
This represents a major step forward compared to the previous technical cycle, when the minimum weight threshold stood at 800 kg and the cars were heavily “ballasted” due to the lighter power units. The 2026 engines, in fact, are 34 kg heavier, which forced teams to design smaller cars overall. Despite this, Ferrari have done an impressive job in order to arrive in Barcelona with a car already so close to the weight limit.
However, it is still far too early to celebrate. From the very first hours on track, everything could change in what is effectively a leap into the unknown. The real answers will only arrive when the lights go out in Melbourne for the opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
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