Ferrari have chosen a different development strategy from Mercedes and McLaren as the Italian team attempts to make the SF-26 more competitive for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during the final five races of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Rather than fundamentally redesigning the car’s aerodynamic concept, chassis technical director Loic Serra has prioritised improvements to an existing package that Ferrari believe they already understand.
The decision is particularly significant following the United States Grand Prix, where a substantial upgrade package helped Charles Leclerc finish second behind Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Although Ferrari are still searching for their first victory since July, the progress made in Austin has strengthened the team’s belief that refining its current aerodynamic philosophy could produce further gains without introducing the uncertainty experienced by its rivals.
Why Ferrari have rejected the aerodynamic approach of Mercedes and McLaren
According to the Italian media, Loic Serra’s development philosophy centres on extracting additional performance from the SF-26 without changing its underlying architecture. Ferrari’s engineers have accumulated considerable knowledge of how the car responds to different aerodynamic configurations, allowing them to pursue more consistent improvements within an established concept.
The latest package, introduced at the Circuit of The Americas, included modifications to the floor, sidepods and diffuser. These changes were intended to improve the management of airflow around the car, particularly by increasing the energy and stability of the flow directed towards the rear.
The objective was to make the aerodynamic platform more effective while preserving the characteristics that have made the SF-26 competitive in low- and medium-speed corners throughout the championship. Ferrari recognise that maintaining the existing philosophy could limit the scale of potential improvements, but Serra considers the greater predictability of this development route an important advantage.
Mercedes and McLaren have followed substantially different paths. Mercedes introduced its second major upgrade package of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia, altering the W17’s aerodynamic concept to direct more airflow towards the centre of the car.
That intervention initially disrupted the team’s development direction, with one side of the Mercedes garage only recovering its competitiveness sufficiently to secure victory when Andrea Kimi Antonelli won in Austin.
McLaren encountered its own challenges after revising the MCL40 to direct airflow further outwards. Although the changes helped the British team improve considerably around the summer break, its engineers are still working to understand the complete behaviour of the revised package.
Ferrari have therefore preferred a more conservative but potentially more predictable route, seeking to avoid the difficulties that can arise when major aerodynamic changes alter the characteristics of a car that engineers have spent months developing.
Ferrari’s Austin upgrades offer encouragement after difficult months
The contrasting development philosophies have emerged during a season in which the competitive order has changed repeatedly. Ferrari began 2026 as Mercedes’ closest challenger, with only the German manufacturer initially appearing to have produced a stronger overall package under Formula 1’s new technical regulations.
McLaren subsequently made significant progress, allowing Lando Norris to win in Hungary and the Netherlands. Norris was also in contention for victory in Madrid, where the team missed another opportunity to secure a Grand Prix win.
Red Bull then became a more prominent threat to Mercedes, with Max Verstappen winning in Malaysia and Singapore. As those rivals improved, Ferrari endured nine consecutive Grands Prix without a victory after its last success in July.
The situation began to look more encouraging at the United States Grand Prix. The SF-26’s improved race pace following the Austin upgrades gave Leclerc an opportunity to challenge near the front and eventually secure second place.
The Monegasque driver was unable to seriously threaten Antonelli for victory after losing valuable time in his battle with Verstappen. Nevertheless, Ferrari’s performance on the hard C2 compound offered a particularly promising indication of the updated car’s potential.
It is believed that Leclerc was approximately 1.4 seconds per lap quicker than Antonelli during the closing stages once the Ferrari driver was running on the hard tyres. That performance reinforced the impression that the aerodynamic developments had helped the SF-26 become more competitive under certain race conditions.
The positive response to the new package also provides useful information ahead of Mexico, where Ferrari face another important test of their aerodynamic improvements.
Lewis Hamilton identifies Ferrari’s engine as a major obstacle
Despite the progress made with the chassis, Ferrari’s aerodynamic development is only part of the challenge facing Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The SF-26 has generally performed strongly through slower corners, but its power unit has remained a significant weakness compared with those of Mercedes and Red Bull.
The Maranello manufacturer has already introduced two engine updates during the season, yet those changes have not eliminated the disadvantage on the straights. The problem has remained visible in comparisons with rival cars, including the straight-line speed difference between Ferrari and Mercedes during the Austin weekend.
Readers can also examine recorded maximum speeds and speed-trap differences through the F1 Top Speed Comparison, which provides additional context for assessing the performance of different cars on the straights.
Ferrari’s original power-unit development programme included plans to introduce a larger turbocharger as part of its ADUO2 specification in 2026. However, the manufacturer abandoned that proposal after concerns emerged about whether the revised design could deliver sufficient reliability.
Development work on the larger turbocharger has instead shifted towards 2027, meaning Hamilton and Leclerc are expected to wait until next season for a more substantial opportunity to address the engine deficit.
The power-unit concerns highlighted by Lewis Hamilton’s Austin performance therefore represent an important issue for Ferrari’s longer-term competitiveness, even if the current aerodynamic package continues to improve.
Hamilton wants Ferrari to use the final five races to prepare for 2027
Lewis Hamilton has made clear that Ferrari’s remaining races should serve a purpose beyond simply chasing the best possible results in the final part of the championship. The seven-time world champion explained that the team intends to use those events to conduct experiments, study the car’s behaviour and improve its operational procedures.
This approach reflects Hamilton’s growing involvement in shaping Ferrari’s technical direction for the following season. By identifying the strengths worth retaining and the weaknesses that require more substantial changes, the British driver wants to help the Scuderia establish a stronger foundation for its next project.
When discussing the Austin aerodynamic upgrades and Ferrari’s prospects for the Mexican Grand Prix, Hamilton acknowledged the work carried out by the factory personnel and welcomed every improvement delivered to the car.
However, he also emphasised that Mercedes remained exceptionally fast, while Red Bull had demonstrated impressive competitiveness. With those rivals continuing to perform strongly, Hamilton expected the battle in Mexico to be extremely close rather than assuming that Ferrari’s recent progress would automatically produce another strong result.
His assessment underlines the distinction between the team’s immediate aerodynamic gains and the broader development problems that still need to be resolved. Ferrari can continue refining the SF-26, but improving its power-unit performance remains a central objective for 2027.
Hamilton’s active role in identifying those priorities also increases expectations surrounding his contribution to the next Ferrari. His technical feedback and involvement in the development process are likely to attract considerable attention, particularly if the team’s competitiveness does not improve sufficiently next season.
For now, Ferrari’s strategy is to build on the progress demonstrated in Austin without abandoning the aerodynamic principles that have served the SF-26 well. Whether that approach can deliver a victory before the end of 2026 remains uncertain, but the team is attempting to combine short-term performance improvements with preparation for the much larger challenge awaiting Hamilton and Leclerc in 2027.
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