Fred Vasseur has taken encouragement from Ferrari’s opening day at Monza, describing the updated Power Unit as a clear step forward while acknowledging that the Scuderia has not yet completely eliminated its deficit to its rivals. The Ferrari team principal has also ruled out deliberately sacrificing either Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc to provide a qualifying tow, insisting that he wants both SF-26s fighting at the front.
There were several positives for Ferrari to take from Friday at the Italian Grand Prix. The Maranello team topped the opening practice session and finished second in the afternoon, ending FP2 only around a tenth away from a Mercedes package that arrived at Monza carrying the status of favourite.
The picture is complicated by the FIA’s energy restrictions for the weekend. On one hand, limiting the available electrical energy can reduce one of Mercedes’ traditional strengths. On the other, it can also expose differences in internal-combustion engine performance more clearly.
Ferrari sees progress from updated Monza engine but gap remains
Mercedes has repeatedly shown an ability to make particularly effective use of the electrical side of its Power Unit, deploying energy efficiently and often sustaining that assistance for longer than its rivals. Losing electrical assistance can create a greater performance deficit than the combustion engine alone would suggest, because the MGU-K delivers its contribution immediately and helps the car gain speed much more rapidly.
At the same time, the FIA’s decision to limit recoverable energy to 5 MJ in qualifying also increases the importance of the internal-combustion engine. Ferrari has been working intensely to reduce that deficit through the opportunities provided by ADUO, and Monza marks the debut of its second updated unit.
The latest specification forms part of Ferrari’s wider ADUO-2 Power Unit development, with particular attention placed on improving overall efficiency rather than relying solely on a headline increase in peak output.
Vasseur is optimistic about the progress made, although Ferrari never expected this second step to eliminate completely the remaining deficit after the first upgraded unit was introduced at the Austrian Grand Prix.
“You have to keep straight-line performance in mind. It’s the drag, it’s the weight of the car, it’s everything. It’s not just the engine,” Fred Vasseur explained. “We’ve definitely made a step forward; we didn’t bring ADUO2 for nothing. But I think there is still a significant gap.”
Mercedes and Ferrari take different approaches to hybrid deployment
Vasseur’s assessment reflected what was visible on track. Mercedes and Ferrari used different approaches to hybrid management, with the W17 appearing particularly strong through the first part of the lap while the SF-26 was more consistent during the long acceleration towards Parabolica.
Overall, however, Mercedes still appears to retain an advantage in this area. The Brackley team has also reduced downforce compared with recent rounds, while the W17 is generally already very effective in terms of aerodynamic efficiency.
Ferrari’s drivers have not hidden the fact that there is still performance to recover on the straights. Lewis Hamilton highlighted precisely that weakness after Friday practice, despite giving a positive verdict on the updated engine. Ferrari has also modified the SF-26’s Monza aerodynamic configuration to reduce drag and improve efficiency.
The key for Maranello is to continue taking steps forward, particularly when comparing its top speeds with McLaren and Red Bull, which currently appear to be encountering greater difficulties in this area.
Fred Vasseur expects energy strategies to converge in FP3
Comparing Power Unit behaviour accurately on Friday is difficult because the teams use different fuel loads, engine mappings and energy-management strategies during practice. Vasseur therefore expects the approaches to become more similar during Saturday’s final practice session.
“From one session to another, we all use different fuel levels, different mappings, and it’s very difficult to read, even for us,” the Ferrari team principal explained. “We just need to stay focused on ourselves and try to get the maximum. We’ll have a sort of convergence in the approach for FP3, but let’s see. It’s a long way until Sunday.”
Ferrari’s technical work for the Italian Grand Prix extends beyond the engine itself, with Charles Leclerc also assessing the engine and floor developments introduced at Monza as the team attempts to maximise the SF-26 across the entire weekend.
Ferrari rules out planned tow tactics for Monza qualifying
Before attention turns fully towards Sunday’s race, qualifying presents another important challenge. Slipstreaming can produce a meaningful gain at Monza if it is organised correctly, as demonstrated by Isack Hadjar’s assistance to Max Verstappen at Spa.
Mercedes has already considered a similar approach. With Andrea Kimi Antonelli due to start from the back because of his Power Unit replacement penalty, the team has evaluated using the Italian driver to help George Russell in his pursuit of pole position.
Ferrari will not employ the same type of deliberate team tactic. One of its two drivers will still have priority when deciding when to leave the garage, as Charles Leclerc explained before the weekend. This time, according to Leclerc, it is Hamilton’s turn to have that choice.
The important distinction is that Ferrari does not intend to compromise either driver’s qualifying session solely to benefit the other. Vasseur confirmed that no targeted slipstream strategy is planned because the Scuderia wants both cars to retain their opportunity to qualify near the front.
“No, I think having two cars is an advantage, and I want to use both of them,” Vasseur explained. “We have two cars on the front rows. If instead you have one starting from the back, then you use it for the benefit of both, exactly as Hadjar did for Max at Spa. It’s a smart move, but I prefer to have two cars at the front.”
Tyre temperatures could work more favourably for Ferrari
Tyre management represents the final major consideration heading into qualifying. Ferrari struggled to bring its tyres into the correct operating window at Zandvoort, but the conditions at Monza have produced almost the opposite problem.
With extremely high temperatures and the track surface exceeding 50°C, the challenge is not generating tyre temperature but preventing the tyres from becoming too hot. Ferrari hopes that this change in conditions can work in its favour on Saturday.
The Scuderia therefore reaches qualifying with several encouraging elements: an upgraded Power Unit that Vasseur believes represents genuine progress, competitive pace against Mercedes and conditions that could suit the SF-26 better than those experienced at Zandvoort. At the same time, Ferrari knows that straight-line performance and the remaining engine deficit are still areas requiring attention if Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are to put both cars at the front of the Italian Grand Prix grid.
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