Ferrari’s hopes of finally ending its long Formula 1 championship drought are already facing growing skepticism from fans around the world, despite the 2026 season still being in its early stages.
After just four races, a clear majority of Formula 1 supporters now believe the Scuderia’s chances of winning either the drivers’ championship or the constructors’ title this year are already slipping away. The disappointing sentiment reflects increasing concerns over Ferrari’s inability to consistently match the pace and development trajectory currently being shown by Mercedes.
The Maranello-based team may still occupy second place in the Formula 1 constructors’ standings with 110 points, but the bigger picture is becoming increasingly worrying. Ferrari already trails Mercedes by a massive 70-point margin, while McLaren — despite suffering three retirements from just eight race starts — remains only 16 points behind the Italian outfit.
Although both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have delivered podium finishes during the opening phase of the championship, Ferrari’s highly anticipated Miami upgrade package failed to generate the breakthrough many inside the paddock expected.
The upgrades introduced by the Scuderia were supposed to reduce the performance deficit to Mercedes and potentially reignite Ferrari’s Formula 1 title ambitions. Instead, the team appeared unable to significantly close the gap to the championship leaders, raising fresh doubts about whether the SF-26 concept has enough development potential to sustain a genuine title challenge over a full season.
What makes the situation even more concerning for Ferrari fans is that Mercedes is not standing still.
The Silver Arrows are preparing another major performance package for the Canadian Grand Prix, a development that could potentially widen the gap even further if Ferrari fails to respond quickly. Inside the Formula 1 paddock, there is already a growing feeling that Mercedes has established not only a performance advantage, but also a more stable and predictable technical platform under the current regulations.
That reality is beginning to heavily influence fan confidence.
In a recent RacingNews365 poll focused on Ferrari’s 2026 championship chances, most fans delivered a brutal verdict on the Scuderia’s prospects. More than half of respondents reportedly felt Ferrari is already too far behind Mercedes to realistically recover in the development race, even with a large portion of the season still remaining.
The pessimism surrounding Ferrari is also amplified by the enormous historical weight carried by the team’s title drought.
Ferrari has not won a Formula 1 constructors’ championship since 2008, while the team’s last drivers’ title came all the way back in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen. What once felt like a temporary rebuilding phase has gradually transformed into one of the longest and most frustrating periods in the modern history of the Scuderia.
The arrival of Lewis Hamilton was supposed to represent the beginning of a new era.
When Ferrari secured the signing of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, expectations exploded across the sport. Many believed the Briton’s experience, leadership and technical feedback, combined with the raw speed of Charles Leclerc, would finally give Ferrari the complete driver pairing needed to return to the top of Formula 1.
At moments, the potential has been visible.
Charles Leclerc has shown flashes of outstanding pace throughout the season, while Lewis Hamilton’s racecraft and strategic management have occasionally helped Ferrari maximize difficult weekends. However, Formula 1 championships are rarely won through isolated performances alone.
Consistency, development speed and operational execution remain critical factors — and right now Mercedes appears to hold the advantage in all three areas.
Ferrari’s inability to immediately unlock major gains from its Miami upgrades has therefore become symbolic of a deeper concern. Rivals are evolving faster, and in modern Formula 1 the development race often determines championships long before the final races of the season arrive.
Still, not every fan has completely abandoned hope.
A significant percentage of poll participants continued to believe Ferrari could still recover ground during the second half of the season if future upgrades prove more successful. Formula 1 history has repeatedly shown that momentum can shift rapidly, particularly during major regulation cycles where teams continue learning about their cars race after race.
For Ferrari, much may now depend on the next phase of development.
If upcoming upgrades fail to substantially improve the performance of the SF-26, the pressure surrounding both the technical department and team management is likely to intensify dramatically. On the other hand, a strong recovery over the next few races could still reopen the championship fight and restore belief inside Maranello.
At present, however, the mood among Formula 1 fans appears increasingly pessimistic.
Poll results suggested that 53.74% of respondents believed Ferrari is already too far behind Mercedes to recover in the championship battle. Meanwhile, 37.25% still felt the Scuderia could fight back through aggressive development, while 9.01% remained undecided on whether Ferrari’s title challenge is truly over.
For now, the verdict from much of the Formula 1 community is harsh but clear: unless Ferrari finds significant performance gains soon, the wait for another world championship may continue well into a third decade.
