Formula 1 is starting from scratch. A brand-new technical era is about to begin, and every team will need the first Grands Prix of the season to truly understand the new competitive order. Just days before the start of the World Championship, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur gave an exclusive interview to Motorsport.com, addressing all the major topics of a 2026 season that promises to be fascinating on track and intense in the paddock.
The French manager discussed pre-season testing, expectations, the technical debates that have dominated recent headlines, and also more personal aspects of his journey at Ferrari, including his relationship with the media and the internal dynamics of the Scuderia.
Winter testing and first impressions
After three days of shakedown in Barcelona and six days of official testing in Bahrain, were expectations confirmed?
“I’m too old to have big expectations from winter testing. There’s always the feeling that bad news could arrive with the first laps, I’m talking about reliability, correlation and many other technical aspects. On those fronts, I can say that so far things have gone well.”
Was everything according to plan?
“We completed more than six thousand kilometers, which is definitely positive, as were the results regarding correlation. There were a few minor issues, but nothing that prevented us from completing our work program. There are still some open points on reliability, but I think that’s the case for all teams, there’s nothing critical. As for performance, it’s still far too early to draw conclusions. I remember that one year ago Williams finished pre-season testing as the fastest team. In Bahrain, track conditions have a huge impact on lap times.”
Reliability above all
There has been a lot of discussion about reliability. Will it truly be the biggest challenge?
“Reliability comes before everything. If you can’t run consistently, you don’t collect data, you don’t verify correlation, and as a consequence you don’t make progress. If we look at the last decade, the most significant evolution in Formula 1 has been reliability. I remember 2014 in Jerez, at the beginning of the hybrid era: the total number of laps completed by all teams was 94. Today the scenario is completely different. I’ve been impressed by the overall reliability. Even when something unexpected happened, no one was stopped for more than a couple of hours. It’s a huge step forward for Formula 1.”
Development race and upgrades
There is great anticipation around development programs. Will this be the real battlefield of the 2026 title fight?
“If you look at last year’s performance evolution, the gap between us and McLaren remained consistent throughout the season: we developed at the same pace, and we’re talking about tenths of a second. This year the scenario will be very different. The initial picture is obviously important—it’s better to start the season by winning the first race rather than being far behind—but the crucial aspect will be the development program. I believe that in this season each upgrade we bring to the track will represent a bigger step than the total improvement seen in 2025. Winning in Melbourne doesn’t mean you have the best car after four or five races. On the other hand, being the third-fastest team in Australia doesn’t rule out the possibility of winning a few races later.”
Looking at the full picture after testing, did everything go as expected?
“It’s in F1’s DNA to complain about everything, but I think in general everyone was positively surprised. People were saying we would be close to Formula 2, but we’re two or three seconds off 2025 lap times, and last year the temperatures in Bahrain were much lower. Considering everything, I think the overall scenario is much better than feared. There are some critical points, of course, but we’re at the very beginning of this technical cycle. We will have to adapt and refine things, and there’s always the possibility to make corrections if necessary. The most important aspect is to have strong competition. When there’s a tight fight between two or more teams, it doesn’t really matter if you’re one or two seconds slower than last season. What matters is being one tenth faster than all your rivals.”
Innovation and technical boldness
During the second Bahrain test Ferrari introduced two aerodynamic updates that surprised the paddock.
“You have to explore the technical regulations, be aggressive and push to the limit. That’s the only way to be innovative. But innovation is not just about visible parts of the car. I’m happy that two solutions attracted attention from the press and the paddock, but in the past we’ve introduced innovations in areas that aren’t visible—suspension, cooling systems, engine. I think that applies to all teams. Personally, I like to see our engineers pushing to the limit while always paying maximum attention to legality. We’ve maintained an open dialogue with the FIA from day one to discuss new solutions. No one can afford to waste wind tunnel hours or budget cap resources by bringing non-compliant parts to the track.”
Pressure, targets and Lewis Hamilton
Does the disappointment of the 2025 championship add extra pressure?
“I’m experienced enough to put the right amount of pressure on myself, and in a constructive way on the team as well. But it doesn’t matter what result we achieved in 2024 or 2025. We go on track to give our maximum, to compete, and with the objective of winning.”
Is there a short-term target?
“At the moment it’s impossible. No one can clearly define the competitive order, there are too many variables to consider in terms of pure performance. Until the final hours of testing in Bahrain we saw three or four cars very close together, but we don’t know parameters like fuel load, which can be worth half a second, or different power unit configurations. You try to form an idea through race simulations, but we are still far from precise conclusions.”
Will Lewis be under pressure after last season’s disappointment?
“No, I think he’s starting from zero. It’s a new story, new car, new regulations, new journey. He has enough experience not to look back.”
The compression ratio saga
On the compression ratio controversy, Vasseur offered a broader perspective.
“The issue goes beyond the single topic. When you introduce completely new regulations, like those for 2026, every team faces a total change: engine, chassis, aerodynamics, tires, batteries, everything, even the structure of the rulebook itself. We expected that at the beginning of the season there would be grey areas. What is a grey area? It’s a situation where different interpretations exist, and each appears correct. That’s what happened with the compression ratio. The main problem is that when a grey area concerns the power unit, the reaction time is very long. The engine is also under budget cap restrictions, which complicates everything further. There is precise planning, we know exactly how many power units we will produce during the season, orders for components were placed long ago because lead times are very long. That’s why it became a saga. It’s not just about performance, it’s about planning the entire season. And soon we will start working on the 2027 power units, so it’s essential to have a clear framework before beginning.”
Start procedure and turbo lag
On the hot topic of start procedures:
“Without the MGU-H it was clear that turbo lag would become a factor to manage, from drivability to race starts. It was known from day one. When defining the guidelines of a power unit, you don’t only evaluate pure power, but also other aspects, and one of them is the start. That’s why we made certain choices. The FIA was quite clear from the beginning about not wanting to modify the start procedure, which is why I was surprised when the topic resurfaced in Bahrain. It’s easy to ask a driver to raise a safety concern, but in reality everything was already known. When you decide the architecture of an engine you always make compromises: on one side maximum power, on the other drivability. You make choices.”
Budget cap, correlation and media pressure
Vasseur confirmed that correlation remains crucial in an era with extremely limited track testing.
“We no longer have test days, only two filming days and limited FP1 sessions. When you bring an upgrade to Melbourne, you’ve already invested in producing multiple floors or wing sets. If the expected results don’t arrive, the damage is already done. That’s why correlation is fundamental. But in recent years simulation tools have made huge progress, and many upgrades have confirmed expectations.”
Reflecting on his fourth season leading Ferrari, Fred Vasseur admitted the intensity of modern F1 leaves no breaks. He emphasized that Ferrari’s direct access to top management is a major strength when quick decisions are required.
On media pressure, he concluded:
“It doesn’t concern me personally. When I signed with Ferrari I was aware of the exposure that comes with the role. But we have many people in the organization, including very young engineers, and sometimes they read rumors about new arrivals in Maranello. I know those stories are unfounded, but the person doing that job may worry. Someone even came to my office because his wife had read that he was going to be fired. That’s what I’m referring to. It’s human to worry, regardless of the uniform you wear.”
As the 2026 season officially kicks off, Frédéric Vasseur’s insights provide a clear picture of a Ferrari team that is both technically aggressive and operationally grounded. While the “Macarena” wing and engine innovations grab the headlines, the underlying focus on reliability and correlation remains the Scuderia’s true North Star. In a year where every upgrade could redefine the championship battle, the French manager’s calm leadership and focus on “starting from zero” might just be the edge Ferrari needs to finally silence the critics and bring the title back to Maranello.
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