Ferrari managed to challenge Mercedes, even if only for a limited number of laps, demonstrating a very competitive race pace during the Australian Grand Prix. This raises an important question: what are the main strengths of the SF-26, and why was Ferrari able to compete with Mercedes during the early stages of the race in Melbourne?
Scuderia Ferrari finished the Australian Grand Prix in third and fourth place with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, respectively. However, during the first phase of the race, both drivers were able to fight directly with the Mercedes cars. Understanding the technical characteristics of the SF-26 helps explain why this scenario unfolded during the opening round of the Formula 1 season.
The Prancing Horse leaves Melbourne as the clear second force on the grid heading into the next round in China. Circuit characteristics can significantly influence performance and energy deployment. At the start of the race, Leclerc gained several positions immediately, and Hamilton did the same. Ferrari clearly demonstrated a strong advantage during the launch phase, but Mercedes showed that it has a superior power unit and therefore an overall faster car, and by a noticeable margin.
The SF-26 is a single-seater that hides many strengths and relatively few weaknesses. Closing the gap in engine performance within a single season will be extremely difficult, but development updates will play a crucial role throughout the championship. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur has already anticipated that a major upgrade package related to the chassis will arrive in the coming races. Here is a closer analysis of the Ferrari SF-26 based on what was seen during the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
Albano: “SF-26 particularly competitive with a full fuel load”
“Ferrari leaves Melbourne with a race that was definitely more positive than qualifying, but also with a few shadows when looking at the overall picture. The red car was undoubtedly the second-fastest in the race, but if the ambition is the championship, the gap seen to the leading Mercedes cars still appeared significant.”
As highlighted by team principal Fred Vasseur, the difference could be around half a second. Charles Leclerc managed to keep up with George Russell, and Hamilton also did so during the first phase of the race. According to analyst Federico Albano, writing for Formula Passion, this confirms the rumors that the SF-26 is particularly competitive when running with a full fuel tank.
Albano explained the possible reason behind this behavior: “The smaller turbo used on the Italian car could be one of the factors in this scenario, because it is more effective at lower engine speeds. This guarantees better traction at the start, as we saw, and also when exiting corners with a heavy car. The situation changes towards the end of the race, when the car becomes lighter and relies less on low-end torque. At that point, higher power at the top end becomes more important, something that a larger turbocharger unit like the one used by Mercedes can provide.”
“From a chassis perspective, however, the Maranello car proved to be excellent. Based on what we saw in Australia, it might even be one of the best Ferrari chassis in recent years, with a very strong level of aerodynamic downforce, good overall balance, and tyre management that was not inferior to Mercedes.”
This naturally raises another question: what are the main weaknesses of the car? The answer, according to analysts, appears relatively clear.
The engine lacks power and the ‘Party Mode’ seems to be back
“The problems seem to appear when it comes to pushing the power unit to its limits, both in terms of horsepower and, above all, regarding energy management and the qualifying engine mapping. We will see whether anything changes in China from this point of view.”
Both Ferrari drivers performed well during the Australian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc was able to put considerable pressure on George Russell, even teaching him a lesson at certain stages of the race. However, the Monegasque driver admitted that he lost some performance in terms of race pace due to a setup that was not completely optimal.
Hamilton, meanwhile, was one of the biggest surprises of the race weekend. The British driver appeared very comfortable with the SF-26, eventually proving faster than his teammate in the closing stages and managing the tyres more effectively.
Ferrari came close to securing a podium finish. Hamilton’s ambitious expectations expressed in his confident pre-race statements therefore proved to have some foundation. His objective will likely be to stay very close to Leclerc in terms of performance, something that could also help Ferrari better understand how to optimize the development direction of the car.
“One of the areas where Ferrari appeared to struggle is precisely the exploitation of the Power Unit in qualifying. It is important to underline that the rule of the ‘single engine mapping’ between qualifying and the race, in force since 2020, has always applied only to the internal combustion engine mapping. Meanwhile, the hybrid deployment map has always been adjustable between sessions.”
“With the electrical component playing such a fundamental role in overall performance, the corresponding mapping becomes crucial. The differences we saw between qualifying and the race in this area were quite significant. Mercedes is the absolute queen of qualifying mapping, closely followed by Red Bull, which appears particularly effective in terms of power delivery on a single lap.”
“It almost feels as if the famous ‘Party Mode’ from a few years ago has returned to the track, but this time in an electric version. In Australia, this particular phase was the one that caused the most difficulties for Ferrari among the four top teams. Of course, everything will need to be reassessed starting with the Chinese Grand Prix next Sunday,” Albano concluded.
The data therefore shows that Ferrari has extremely strong competitiveness in terms of aerodynamics and chassis performance, but the lack of engine power continues to raise questions about its ability to challenge consistently for victories.
Ferrari’s performance in Australia therefore reveals a car with a “split personality”: a chassis and low-end torque that can dominate the start and heavy-fuel stints, but an electrical mapping system that can’t yet match Mercedes’ “Electric Party Mode” in qualifying. As the field moves to the long straights of Shanghai, the focus shifts to whether Ferrari can bridge that 0.5s gap through software optimization, or if their mechanical excellence will continue to be overshadowed by the Silver Arrows’ superior electrical deployment.
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