Former Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola has shared his personal assessment of the performance gap separating the Scuderia from Mercedes, offering a candid warning about how difficult it will be to close the deficit. In his view, recovering what he estimates to be a significant horsepower disadvantage is far from a quick fix.
At Maranello, Ferrari is currently working on a new thermal power unit that is expected to make its debut no earlier than July, taking advantage of ADUO concessions. However, Luigi Mazzola’s comments suggest that expectations should remain realistic when it comes to immediate gains in performance.
The 2026 season for Ferrari has started on a solid note, but not at the level the team had hoped for. The engine is still not delivering the same performance as Mercedes, and development continues behind the scenes on a heavily revised power unit architecture aimed at improving thermal efficiency and overall output.
Despite this ongoing work, there is a growing belief among some insiders that such a gap cannot be closed quickly, even with significant development steps. Mazzola has now shared his thoughts on Fred Vasseur’s leadership and the current strength of the SF-26 project.
Mazzola: “Maybe it will take one or two years”
“Mercedes has enormous expertise in managing State of Charge (SOC) thanks to Formula E. They have around thirty more thermal horsepower compared to Ferrari. Closing 30 horsepower is not something you do overnight with a magic wand. Maybe it will take one or two years, unless the regulations intervene to reduce the performance of the Silver Arrows. In Formula 1 it does not matter to be ‘reckless’ or ‘innovative’, here you have to win. The last Drivers’ World Championship is from 2007,” said Luigi Mazzola in an interview with F1ingenerale.
The former engineer does not believe that the current gap can be closed in a short timeframe, even considering the development opportunities offered by ADUO concessions. According to him, Fred Vasseur has managed to build a solid and competitive team structure, but not yet one capable of fighting for the world championship on equal terms.
He also warned that the 2026 season could bring additional challenges from other competitors on the grid, making Ferrari’s task even more complex.
“Let’s give it time, but we are now in the fourth year of this technical cycle for Ferrari. The car has started the season well, it is a strong second force, and the work done is not bad. The problem is when the declared target is to win, but we keep repeating that we are working, that from mid-season we will close the gap, that next year will be the one. Meanwhile, the others are not standing still. Now McLaren is making itself strongly heard, with the risk that Ferrari could slip to third force,” Luigi Mazzola added.
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