Ferrari’s result at the Austrian Grand Prix should not come as a surprise. Inside the team’s technical department, Spielberg had long been considered one of the least suitable circuits for the SF-26—the complete opposite of Barcelona. With limited lateral downforce demands, long full-throttle sections and a strong emphasis on power unit performance, the Red Bull Ring naturally highlighted the car’s known weaknesses, exactly as anticipated before the weekend. The only factor working in Ferrari’s favour was the circuit’s relatively short lap.
Qualifying had probably raised expectations, but it also painted a misleading picture. Once the race began, Ferrari’s familiar weaknesses quickly returned. There had already been concerns over the SF-26’s ability to protect the rear tyres over a race distance, and the significant tyre degradation seen on Sunday confirmed those fears.
While Ferrari has made progress in extracting performance from the Soft tyre during qualifying, unlike at Barcelona it failed to achieve the same level of tyre management during the race with the other compounds. One engineer explained: “On Friday we had some problems to solve. Perhaps we were even too gentle with tyre bite through the high-speed corners. That’s why we ended up overheating them.”
Mercedes’ result also deserves context
Mercedes’ dominant result also needs to be viewed in context. George Russell controlled the race impressively, but Max Verstappen remained within striking distance throughout the Grand Prix. Inside Red Bull, there is a strong belief that had the Dutch driver started from the front row, he would have been in contention for victory.
The team’s internal assessment remains unchanged: Mercedes still enjoys an advantage of around one to two tenths of a second, but Max Verstappen is often able to recover part of that deficit through his driving.
The Austrian Grand Prix also represented the first meaningful test of the development direction chosen by Pierre Waché around two months ago. Red Bull has substantially revised the RB22’s aerodynamic concept to generate more downforce, introducing the main upgrade package at its home race. The initial signs appear highly encouraging.
Meanwhile, speculation continues throughout the paddock that Red Bull Powertrains is running the largest turbocharger on the grid, together with particularly large air intake ducts. At a circuit located more than 600 metres above sea level, where the air is thinner, this configuration may have provided an additional competitive advantage.
ADUO 1 was never expected to transform Ferrari’s fortunes
For Ferrari, however, it was always unrealistic to expect the first ADUO upgrade to completely change the competitive picture. The initial evolution of the power unit was deliberately introduced with conservative gains and is primarily intended to serve as the foundation for future developments.
It is already becoming clear that Ferrari is likely to reduce the gap slightly in the next FIA assessment, but the Scuderia is still expected to remain around four percent behind the benchmark.
The benefits of the new package should become much more visible on circuits that better suit the characteristics of the SF-26. Beyond the outright pace, Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur was also dissatisfied with Ferrari’s race execution, saying: “Today we should have forgotten about Mercedes and defended ourselves better against McLaren.”
Silverstone will therefore provide a far more meaningful benchmark for evaluating the competitive balance. Ferrari is expected to introduce an updated Macarena front wing along with a low-drag diffuser, while the exhaust system could also receive further revisions.
With its high-speed corners, sustained lateral loads and cooler temperatures, the British Grand Prix should offer a much clearer indication of the true performance levels of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari, helping to separate the unique characteristics of Spielberg from the genuine competitive order.
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