Ferrari hasn’t had the best of years in Formula One over the last handful; however, things appear to be turning a corner for the famous constructor.
If we’re taking a look at how things have gone to this point of the 2026 F1 season following the Canadian GP, things appear to be on the rise for the team. Indeed, they’ve been extremely competitive, despite Mercedes rolling away with it after the first five races of the season.
Still, Ferrari’s performance has made them an intriguing proposition. It’s made those who bet on Formula 1 feel that the sport is more competitive once again, as the iconic constructor has added another aspect to race days that they once had dominated for so long.
Why the 2026 F1 Season Could Be Considered “Qualified Success”
Ferrari’s main strength is consistency at the finish line, with the two drivers combining to deliver strong points and solid results.
Before Canada, it had already banked three podiums in the first three Grands Prix (missing out in Miami), and after Montreal, Lewis Hamilton added a season-best P2 while Charles Leclerc finished fourth in the race. In the drivers’ standings after Canada, Leclerc is third on 75 points and Hamilton fourth on 72, which shows both cars are scoring strongly. On top of this, Ferrari sit second in the Constructors’ Championship with 147 points, albeit some distance from the 219 Mercedes have collected so far. On the plus side, it’s 41 more than McLaren in third.
Beyond the strong finishes, the team’s pit‑stop execution and race strategy have shown clear improvement, turning tight qualifying positions into strong race results and recovering places when the car hasn’t been perfect. The SF‑26’s tyre management has been competitive across different compounds and stint lengths, which reduces vulnerability to safety‑car timing and undercut gambits and allows Leclerc and Hamilton to run flexible strategies that net extra positions.
Why the 2026 F1 Season Still Shows Improvements Are Needed
Ferrari has been competitive enough to stay in the fight, but it remains behind Mercedes by a clear margin and has not yet solved the underlying performance gap that has kept it off pole position. Leclerc has also been critical of the car, describing the Canadian GP as his “worst weekend”, and underlined that the car can still be inconsistent from driver to driver and track to track.
They have yet to put the SF-26 on the front row of a Grand Prix, which suggests success has yet to be fully achieved. Some would say this is negative because it exposes several underlying weaknesses in both the car and the team’s performance. Failing to qualify in the top two means the SF‑26 regularly starts behind rivals who can control the race pace and strategy, which forces Ferrari into recovery mode rather than dictating races.
While mechanical reliability has been reasonable, there have been isolated hybrid/brake complaints and setup failures that produced driver errors or forced conservative runs, reducing the team’s ability to convert pace into wins when the car isn’t perfectly dialled in.
Overall Verdict
There are positives to be had about Ferrari’s start to the 2026 F1 season, and with it still very new, there’s a lot to be excited about. However, with that said, it’s clear that they still remain off the pace compared to Mercedes and have some work to do if they are to be a real challenger in the constructors’ standings and on the grid.
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