Ferrari has arrived at Monza with an evolved low-downforce package for the SF-26, choosing refinement rather than a radical circuit-specific transformation for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix. The upgraded floor introduced at Zandvoort remains on the car, but Ferrari has modified the bargeboard area as part of its effort to reduce drag along Monza’s long straights.
It is an approach similar to the one seen at Silverstone, where Ferrari also avoided completely redesigning the car around the circuit’s particular characteristics. Even so, the Scuderia has made several targeted adjustments to adapt the SF-26 to the demands of the Temple of Speed, where aerodynamic efficiency and power-unit performance will be particularly important.
Ferrari brings evolved SF-26 low-downforce package to Monza
Ferrari heads into its home Grand Prix aware that Monza is unlikely to be a straightforward weekend for the SF-26 because of the characteristics of the Italian circuit. At the same time, there is hope that the car could produce another surprise similar to Silverstone and Spa, two tracks where Ferrari was not expected to excel but nevertheless came away with a pole position, two podiums and a victory.
The challenge is made even more significant by the FIA’s decision to limit battery recharging during the lap by reducing the number of megajoules available. As a result, aerodynamic efficiency and engine power become two fundamental performance factors. The wider impact of active aerodynamics and energy management at Monza is also changing the way teams approach the traditional low-downforce compromise.
As with several other teams, Ferrari has not produced the kind of dedicated Monza package that was common in previous seasons. The ability to use the active wing during the race and across multiple straights has reduced the need for such an extreme circuit-specific configuration, although the Maranello engineers have still introduced several important refinements.
ADUO engine evolution joins Ferrari’s aerodynamic changes
Alongside the aerodynamic work, Ferrari will also introduce a new engine specification developed through ADUO, providing a few additional horsepower as the Scuderia continues trying to reduce its deficit to Red Bull and Mercedes. The evolved ADUO-2 power unit for Monza therefore forms another important part of Ferrari’s performance package for its home Grand Prix.
On the aerodynamic side, Ferrari has brought the evolved floor specification together with its low-downforce package, with the objective of cutting resistance along Monza’s lengthy flat-out sections.
Ferrari had already adopted a similar philosophy at Silverstone. Rather than completely transforming the SF-26 there, the team removed some of the developments that had been introduced in Miami, particularly around the bargeboard area. At Monza, however, an evolved version of that solution has appeared, developed from the floor introduced at Zandvoort.
Ferrari modifies Zandvoort floor around bargeboard area
The change can also be identified through the profile positioned immediately behind the bargeboard area, together with the return to a single vertical element. Ferrari has therefore not abandoned all of its latest developments, offering a positive indication that the evolved floor introduced in the Netherlands delivered the expected results at Maranello.
The decision is particularly significant because the load generated by the floor remains crucial through the corners. Ferrari’s wider SF-26 technical development continues to focus on finding the right compromise between aerodynamic load and efficiency rather than simply removing downforce for Monza.
There is also an important connection between cornering performance and energy management. The faster a car travels through a corner, the fewer opportunities there are to recover energy. However, carrying greater speed through the corner also means less energy has to be spent during the subsequent acceleration phase to reach high speeds on the straight.
This was already a factor at Silverstone, including through Copse. Ferrari built part of its Friday sprint pole performance through the circuit’s long, fast corners, where the SF-26 was able to carry significantly more speed than Mercedes.
Single vertical element returns to reduce Ferrari SF-26 drag
At Monza, Ferrari has therefore returned to the single vertical profile in an attempt to reduce aerodynamic resistance, rather than using the three elements introduced at Zandvoort. The remainder of the floor, however, stays in its updated specification.
The decision to retain much of the Zandvoort development suggests Ferrari does not want to sacrifice the progress made with its latest floor simply to chase lower drag at Monza. Instead, the engineers have adapted specific areas while preserving the wider concept that delivered the expected feedback after its Dutch Grand Prix introduction.
At the rear of the car, it is therefore no surprise that Ferrari has not introduced a completely bespoke Monza solution. Several other teams along the pit lane have taken a similar approach, retaining configurations already used at other circuits rather than creating packages exclusively for the Italian Grand Prix.
Ferrari evaluates rear-wing configuration for Monza
One interesting detail is that, at least for now, the SF-26 retains the additional rear-wing profiles first seen at Zandvoort, which move downwards when the rear wing opens. Aston Martin has adopted a similar solution.
Those elements could still be removed during the course of the weekend, however, as Mercedes, Red Bull and Haas have already done with comparable solutions. Ferrari also has the option of retaining only the central elements, as it did at Silverstone, in order to preserve greater stability through the corners.
The final configuration will therefore represent another compromise between reducing drag on Monza’s long straights and maintaining enough aerodynamic stability through the circuit’s high-speed sections. Together with the latest power-unit evolution and the retained Zandvoort floor, Ferrari’s low-downforce package shows how the team is adapting the SF-26 to Monza without abandoning the developments already introduced during the season.
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