McLaren is beginning to look increasingly threatening in the 2026 Formula 1 season, and Ferrari may have more reason to worry than championship leader Mercedes. The SF-26 has shown genuine speed and strong race pace despite some limitations, but the Maranello team has not always succeeded in extracting the maximum from the package at its disposal.
McLaren presents almost the opposite picture. The reigning world champions may not consistently have the outright performance level shown by Ferrari and Mercedes, but they have proved extremely effective at delivering results, remaining consistent and capitalising when opportunities arise. That ability to maximise what they have is beginning to revive uncomfortable memories at Maranello.
Ferrari faces growing McLaren threat after Zandvoort
Lando Norris’ victory in Hungary provided an important morale boost for McLaren, and his latest success at Zandvoort should give the Woking team another significant injection of confidence. Catching Mercedes remains a difficult task, but the broader pattern of the season is beginning to resemble what happened in 2024.
Ferrari arrived at the Dutch Grand Prix with confidence in the potential of its latest package, having worked to improve the SF-26 for the Zandvoort weekend. The car has pace, but having a competitive technical package is only part of the equation when the margins between the leading Formula 1 teams are so small.
McLaren, meanwhile, has demonstrated how valuable consistency and execution can be. The Woking team has repeatedly found ways to strike at the right moment, turning opportunities into major results even when its raw performance has not necessarily been superior to both Ferrari and Mercedes. Its competitiveness at Zandvoort had already been an important talking point ahead of the weekend, including the development direction of its Dutch Grand Prix package.
The ghosts of Ferrari’s 2024 defeat return
The similarities with 2024 are difficult for Ferrari to ignore. During that season, the leading team began to show some vulnerabilities around the second half of the campaign. Ferrari, which had appeared the most natural candidate to establish itself as the principal challenger, then saw McLaren suddenly emerge as a major force.
That story ultimately ended with the Woking team winning the 2024 constructors’ championship. The circumstances in 2026 are not identical and the outcome can still be very different, but the comparison is enough to cause concern at Maranello.
Ferrari once again has a car capable of producing strong performance, with the development of the SF-26 aerodynamic package underlining the team’s efforts to remain competitive near the front. Yet the decisive question is whether the Scuderia can convert that potential into results consistently enough across an entire championship.
McLaren could take Ferrari’s role as Mercedes’ main challenger
The immediate danger is not necessarily that McLaren will overturn Mercedes’ advantage. Recovering enough ground to challenge the championship leader still appears complicated. For Ferrari, however, there is another uncomfortable possibility: losing its status as Mercedes’ primary challenger and allowing McLaren to take over that role.
That would carry consequences beyond the final 2026 standings. A strong conclusion to the season could send McLaren into the winter with greater momentum and confidence, potentially creating the foundations for further progress when Formula 1 returns in the spring of 2027.
This is precisely why the situation is creating anxiety at Maranello. Losing a direct championship fight against Mercedes would be disappointing, but understandable given the strength of the current championship leader. Being overtaken once again by the same team that denied Ferrari in 2024 would be far harder to accept.
The challenge therefore extends beyond finding more speed in the SF-26. Ferrari must also make better use of the performance already available, minimise missed opportunities and consistently extract the maximum from each weekend. Those execution-related details are becoming increasingly important as McLaren demonstrates exactly how valuable they can be.
For Maranello, the memories of 2024 are beginning to return. Ferrari still has the performance to remain Mercedes’ main opponent, but McLaren’s recent victories have changed the picture. Being beaten by Mercedes would hurt; allowing the Woking team to repeat its 2024 success at Ferrari’s expense would feel like a particularly painful second blow.
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