Frédéric Vasseur has delivered a measured Ferrari 2026 mid-season review, praising the team’s progress while warning that two victories and nine podium finishes from the opening 11 Grands Prix are still “not enough”. The Maranello team enters its three-week summer break second in both championships, but its deficit to Mercedes and the missed opportunity at the Hungarian Grand Prix have kept expectations firmly in check.
Lewis Hamilton trails championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 50 points in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings. Ferrari, meanwhile, occupy second place in the Constructors’ Championship, 72 points behind Mercedes, although Frédéric Vasseur remains determined to keep the constructors’ title challenge alive.
Ferrari’s 2026 mid-season numbers show clear progress
Across the first 11 Grands Prix of the 2026 season, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have combined for two victories, with each Ferrari driver winning once. They have also secured nine podium finishes between them: five for the seven-time world champion and four for the Monegasque.
Ferrari have yet to claim a pole position with the SF-26, but Charles Leclerc has started from the front row three times, while Lewis Hamilton has achieved one front-row start.
Compared with the same number of races in 2025, the SF-26 has scored an impressive 97 additional points. There have been encouraging signs, particularly during the most recent rounds and with further upgrades on the way, but Mercedes clearly made the stronger start to the championship.
Frédéric Vasseur: Ferrari’s progress is “not enough”
Asked by Canal Plus to assess the first half of Ferrari’s season, team principal Frédéric Vasseur said: “I don’t know, perhaps it’s a bit like at school: ‘Good, but could do better.’ The typical comment… We had a first half of the season in which we were a little way off Mercedes, and we fell something like 100 points behind.”
The French manager then highlighted Ferrari’s improved form since the Spanish Grand Prix, while making it clear that the team cannot afford to waste opportunities such as the one at the Hungaroring.
“After Spain, I think we are the ones who have scored the most points,” Frédéric Vasseur continued. “But that’s the thing, it’s not enough. We can’t let weekends like the one in Hungary slip away, when we were first and second on Friday and then finished fourth and fifth.”
Ferrari’s strong practice pace in Budapest had raised expectations of a victory challenge, but a combination of problems ultimately left both cars outside the podium positions. The outcome underlined why the team must eliminate the execution errors that proved costly in Hungary if it is to convert the SF-26’s improving performance into a sustained championship challenge.
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