Fred Vasseur lays out Ferrari’s new strategy for 2026 F1 after zero-win season

Fred Vasseur lays out Ferrari’s new strategy for 2026 F1 after zero-win season. Ferrari ends a challenging 2025 season with no wins.

Ferrari SF-25 rear wing, view, engine, power unit, 2025 F1

The recently concluded 2025 Formula 1 season was extremely challenging for Ferrari, ending the year with zero victories – a clear sign that change is needed in Maranello. Team Principal Frederic Vasseur also faced criticism during the season, and he now shares his thoughts after the final race of a completely disappointing year, with a car that simply didn’t live up to expectations. Fred Vasseur has already hinted at a shift in approach for 2026.At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Ferrari finished fourth with Charles Leclerc and eighth with Lewis Hamilton, results that mirrored the team’s struggles throughout the season. The SF-25 was never competitive enough to fight for wins, and the year closed without a single triumph. It’s the first time since 2021 that Maranello ended a season winless, and naturally, this does not sit well, especially considering that last year the team fought until the very end for the Constructors’ Championship. Frederic Vasseur knows that mistakes cannot be made heading into 2026, which is why Ferrari plans to change its approach – but how exactly?

Vasseur’s assessment of Ferrari’s season and first thoughts on 2026

“The season was tough, but you need to distinguish between a weekend’s performance and the season as a whole. From Bahrain, the pace wasn’t magical, and with the double disqualification in China early on, we lost important points and started uphill. After three or four races, McLaren was probably 100 points ahead. Compared to last year, we started behind, but we are competitive and we want to achieve good results. We made good progress after the summer break, especially in Mexico, but we ran into details. In F1 today, a tenth of a second can mean going from P6 to P16, and every small mistake changes everything.”

Fred Vasseur considers himself satisfied with how the team responded during difficult moments. Despite that, Ferrari finished the year with zero wins and fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Preparing for the regulation change

Looking ahead to the regulation change, Fred Vasseur is well aware that the start of the season will bring challenges, but he emphasizes one crucial factor: “2026 will be a completely different season. What will be decisive next year, more than the potential teams show in Melbourne, will be the ability to develop the car as the season progresses. The philosophy of the car will be completely different, the problems of this year will be gone, but others will arise. The championship is not decided in Australia: it will be a long season, and the key will be fast and constant development. But no matter where we are, it’s important to keep pushing.”

Ferrari is already reportedly outlining its development plan for the new car, with hopes that the Scuderia can start the 2026 season on the right foot.

Ferrari insiders say the development roadmap for the 2026 challenger is already locked in. After a painful lesson in 2025, Maranello is determined to hit the ground running when the new era begins.