The Imola weekend is highly anticipated by engineers. All teams, albeit to varying extents, will bring technical upgrades to the track — the first ones shaped by the early feedback from pre-season testing and the first two races of the calendar. The topic of upgrades is a hot one, involving not just the budget cap but also resource management, a crucial issue given the massive effort going into designing the cars that will race next year.
Every team will have to decide when to definitively stop developing their 2025 projects and redirect all energy to the new car. This temptation will be stronger for teams that see no way forward with their current machines. That, however, is not the case at Ferrari.
Frederic Vasseur confirmed that work on the SF-25 will continue, even though many of the team’s early-season expectations have now been compromised in the championship standings.
“Shifting all our resources to the 2026 Formula 1 project prematurely would be a mistake. I believe it’s very important to stay competitive, to keep fighting, because it’s when you’re fighting for something that you pay attention to the details — and that’s the right mindset. Some may disagree with my view, but I can’t imagine how a group of 1,000 people can stay motivated if we give something up. That would mean lacking the right pressure for the coming race weekend, the right motivation for the next session — and that’s a feeling I don’t want to experience.”
“We already have a team working on the 2026 car, but we can’t tell the people going to the track every race weekend that we’re giving up. That wouldn’t be the right message with so many Grands Prix still ahead in the season.”
“We must keep growing — in every area, there’s room for progress. And I’ll add that today we’re three tenths off pole and just one tenth from third place on the grid. This is a matter of mindset, not just mathematical evaluation, and that’s why I want to keep everyone under pressure so the team gives its best. Again, we already have people working on the 2026 car, but those working at the track must maintain the right approach.” – the French manager pointed out.
With one of the most significant technical regulation changes in F1 history coming up, teams are facing the challenge of how much know-how from current developments can carry over to next year’s cars. On this point too, Fred Vasseur has a clear view of the guidelines.
“Aerodynamically, probably not much can be carried over to the next car because the 2026 regulations are completely different — the rear wing is different, the floor is completely different — so the work will only benefit the current car. But mechanically, it’s a bit different, because if you work on those components, the knowledge gained can be transferred. I mean suspensions, brakes, and many other components.”
A clear message: the “SF-25” project will remain open for quite a while…
