Ferrari heads into the 2026 Italian Grand Prix with a significantly improved SF-26, but Luigi Mazzola believes the progress made with the car has also removed one of the team’s remaining excuses. After encouraging signs in recent races, particularly over longer stints, the former Ferrari engineer has warned that Monza will demand much better strategy, management and execution from the Scuderia.
The Dutch Grand Prix highlighted the contrast. Ferrari showed that the SF-26 could run with the leading cars during race stints and remain competitive as tyre degradation increased, yet the final result failed to fully reflect that potential. Speaking on a new episode of A Ruota Libera, Luigi Mazzola delivered a simple message ahead of Ferrari’s home race: “You can’t make any more mistakes here.”
Luigi Mazzola says Ferrari has no room for mistakes at Monza
For Luigi Mazzola, the main concern is no longer simply the outright speed of the SF-26. At Zandvoort, Ferrari demonstrated that it could stay close to the strongest cars during race stints and that its performance became particularly encouraging when tyre degradation began to play a greater role.
The problem was turning that pace into the result it appeared capable of producing. Luigi Mazzola believes Ferrari lost ground at precisely the moments when faster decisions and more decisive strategic management were required. The Dutch Grand Prix has consequently increased scrutiny of the pit wall, with Ferrari already conducting a review of the errors that affected its Zandvoort race.
That is the area Luigi Mazzola believes must change immediately before the Italian Grand Prix. Ferrari can arrive at Monza with a quicker car, but improvements to the SF-26 will have limited value if opportunities continue to disappear through hesitation or delayed decisions.
The improved Ferrari SF-26 must now convert pace into points
One of the most significant elements of Luigi Mazzola’s assessment concerns Ferrari’s recent technical progress. In his view, the SF-26 is genuinely a better car than it was only a few weeks ago. It has found a stronger overall balance and is able to manage its race pace more effectively, particularly once the tyres begin to degrade.
That gives Ferrari a more competitive technical foundation heading into Monza. The Scuderia has continued developing its 2026 package, with further work focused on extracting performance from the SF-26 for the specific demands of the Italian circuit. Ferrari has also prepared additional performance gains alongside its ADUO 2 work as it attempts to maximise the car at its home Grand Prix.
For Luigi Mazzola, however, the next challenge is straightforward: Ferrari must convert that underlying competitiveness into points. Technical progress alone will not be enough if the team cannot execute the race with the same level of performance.
Ferrari’s strategy and pit wall face a major Monza test
According to Luigi Mazzola, the difference between winning and losing in Formula 1 is often determined not by the driver but by how effectively the pit wall reads the race as it develops.
During the Dutch Grand Prix, Ferrari lost valuable seconds while waiting for the right moment to respond to its rivals. In Formula 1, those seconds can be enough to decide whether a driver finishes on the podium or leaves a weekend wondering what might have been.
The stakes become even greater at Monza. Pit-stop opportunities can quickly become decisive, while a Safety Car, Virtual Safety Car or other neutralisation can completely reshape the strategic picture. Luigi Mazzola therefore believes Ferrari must arrive at the Italian Grand Prix with a much more decisive approach and the ability to react immediately when circumstances change.
Similar concerns have already been raised elsewhere following Zandvoort. David Coulthard has also argued that Ferrari cannot repeat its Dutch Grand Prix communication problems at Monza, adding further pressure on the Scuderia to deliver a cleaner home weekend.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc need clear Ferrari leadership
Luigi Mazzola also addressed the dynamic involving Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. With two drivers operating at the highest level, Ferrari needs a team capable of controlling the race with authority and providing both sides of the garage with clear direction.
Whenever team orders or strategic decisions become necessary, Luigi Mazzola believes communication must be immediate and unambiguous. Uncertainty can cost time on track and create unnecessary complications between two drivers who both expect the team to maximise their performance.
The issue has become particularly relevant following the Dutch Grand Prix, where Ferrari’s handling of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc again placed team orders under the spotlight. Former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley has also called for greater clarity in Ferrari’s management of its drivers.
At the same time, Charles Leclerc has explained that he and Lewis Hamilton both see themselves as leaders within the team and remain aligned on Ferrari’s overall direction. The Monegasque’s comments about the Ferrari leadership dynamic alongside Lewis Hamilton underline the experience available inside the cockpit. Luigi Mazzola’s point is that strong leadership must also be present on the pit wall.
Having two champions capable of delivering on track is not enough if the team around them cannot make equally decisive calls when the race reaches its critical moments.
Monza will test the Ferrari SF-26 in three key areas
The Italian circuit presents a very different technical challenge. Ferrari needs an efficient car on Monza’s long straights while maintaining stability through some of the most demanding braking zones on the Formula 1 calendar.
According to Luigi Mazzola, the SF-26 will need to prove competitive in three fundamental areas: top speed, stability through the chicanes and energy management across the full race distance.
Recent developments appear to have improved the car in these areas, but Monza represents an important examination of how far Ferrari has progressed. Charles Leclerc has also assessed the engine and floor developments prepared for the Italian Grand Prix, with the team continuing to refine the SF-26 ahead of its home event.
Ferrari must transform its Monza potential into a result
For Luigi Mazzola, Ferrari therefore arrives at the Italian Grand Prix with a major opportunity. The SF-26 has shown that it can be a podium contender and, under the right circumstances, a car capable of fighting for victory.
But a competitive Formula 1 car is not enough if opportunities continue to be lost at decisive moments. Monza is the weekend in which Ferrari must demonstrate that it has learned from Zandvoort and can combine the progress made with the SF-26 with sharper race management.
Luigi Mazzola’s message is ultimately clear. Ferrari is not arriving at Monza with a car in crisis. Instead, it arrives with an improved package and a team that now has to prove its maturity. The SF-26 has progressed, the potential is there and Ferrari’s home supporters will expect the Scuderia to turn that promise into a tangible result.
The 2026 Italian Grand Prix therefore becomes much more than another race on the calendar. For Ferrari, it is an opportunity to show that a stronger car can finally be matched by the strategy, leadership and execution required to produce a result worthy of expectations at Monza.
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