Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur has played down expectations that the Scuderia’s much-anticipated ADUO power unit development for Monza will completely erase Mercedes’ engine advantage, although he is certain the upgrade will provide a useful step forward. With Ferrari second in the Constructors’ Championship and 72 points behind Mercedes, the second half of the 2026 Formula 1 season will determine whether the progress made with the SF-26 can develop into a genuine championship challenge.
Assessing Ferrari’s first half of the campaign, Frédéric Vasseur used a familiar school-report analogy to describe a season that has represented progress without yet delivering everything the team wants. His comments, quoted by Auto Hebdo, reflect the same demanding standards behind Ferrari’s 2026 mid-season assessment.
“Like at school: ‘Good, but could do better’. It is a step forward compared with 2025 because we are more competitive. The car is quite good, which was not a given for the first year of a new set of regulations,” Frédéric Vasseur explained.
Ferrari currently occupies second place in the Constructors’ Championship, 72 points behind Mercedes. It is a significant margin, but not necessarily an insurmountable one given the steady progress the Maranello team has shown on track. The initial power unit deficit had been anticipated, and Frédéric Vasseur made no attempt to hide where Ferrari still stands relative to its main rival.
“Mercedes is still ahead, at least in terms of the engine. We expected it to be tough for us on the engine for a year. And considering the deficit we started with, we are doing rather well. Obviously, it is not enough, because we want to win.”
Ferrari SF-26 characteristics could suit Zandvoort
That realistic assessment leads directly into one of the key themes of the second part of the championship, which begins after Formula 1’s summer break. Ferrari will have opportunities to exploit the particular strengths of the SF-26 even before its important Monza power unit development arrives.
The first challenge will be Zandvoort, with the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix weekend taking place around 23 August. The Dutch circuit’s sequence of technical corners and frequent changes of direction could play to some of Ferrari’s strengths.
The SF-26 driven by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc has demonstrated excellent agility through corners, while its aerodynamic characteristics allow Ferrari to manage energy effectively. That helps compensate for one of Mercedes’ main advantages: strong outright power combined with more effective deployment around the lap.
Ferrari has been particularly competitive through more technical sections of circuits, an area that could become important at Zandvoort. The SF-26’s characteristics have remained an important part of Ferrari’s development story, with recent technical analysis of the Ferrari SF-26 also highlighting how its performance cannot be reduced to downforce levels alone.
Ferrari’s Monza ADUO upgrade will not completely erase Mercedes advantage
Immediately after the Netherlands, Formula 1 heads to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix and one of the most important moments of Ferrari’s season. The race on home soil is expected to coincide with the most anticipated development yet for the Maranello power unit, with Ferrari introducing the second tranche of its ADUO allowance.
The significance of the update has inevitably created expectations, particularly because Monza places enormous emphasis on power unit performance. Ferrari has already been carrying out reliability work ahead of the planned Monza engine upgrade, but Frédéric Vasseur does not believe the development will suddenly eliminate the entire gap to Mercedes.
“Catch Mercedes completely? I would say no. It will help, that’s for sure. When you look at Mercedes and Red Bull, we’re talking about one or two tenths per lap of difference coming from the engine. In any case, it is not a huge advantage to make up,” the Ferrari team principal said.
Why Ferrari still has reasons for optimism
Despite Frédéric Vasseur’s caution, Ferrari has several reasons for measured optimism heading into the second half of the season. Reliability has been one of the team’s strongest areas in 2026, with Lewis Hamilton the only driver on the grid to have completed every race while also scoring points in each of them.
That reliability reflects Maranello’s decision to commit heavily to the 2026 project well in advance. Ferrari has also managed its development programme effectively, introducing more than 30 updates across the season, with particularly important packages arriving in Miami and Barcelona. The constant development work has gradually reduced the performance deficit to Mercedes and contributed to Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Barcelona and Charles Leclerc’s triumph at Silverstone.
Ferrari has no intention of easing that development pressure either. Charles Leclerc has already stressed the importance of remaining aggressive in the 2026 Formula 1 upgrade race as the championship moves into its decisive phase.
The team has improved operationally as well, becoming more decisive on the pit wall, although some strategic calls have still proved expensive. Lewis Hamilton lost out through decisions at Silverstone and again in Hungary, while the seven-time world champion has also accumulated several penalties during the season. Those setbacks have been among the details preventing Ferrari from fully capitalising on the progress of the SF-26.
Mercedes therefore remains the favourite, but the championship is increasingly likely to be decided by small margins. Ferrari enters the second half of the 2026 campaign balancing Frédéric Vasseur’s realism with the increasingly convincing underlying strength of the SF-26. The Monza ADUO development may not completely remove Mercedes’ power advantage, but combined with Ferrari’s reliability, chassis qualities and continuing development programme, it gives the Scuderia more than one route back into the fight.
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