Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur spoke cautiously last week about the new 678, the car with which the Scuderia will compete in the 2026 Formula 1 season, set to be unveiled on January 23 at Fiorano. This car will be a product of the new technical regulations introduced by the F1 Circus and, after a disappointing 2025, will need to bring the team back into contention for the championship, with the hope of winning it.
The 2026 car is a major focus for Maranello and is taking shape rapidly: assembly is progressing well, including the installation of the power unit in the chassis, set to be finalized just before the reveal. Unlike in previous years, however, very little information has been released about the 2026 car’s performance potential, as no team wants to reveal details ahead of a season that could feature a significant performance reset.
Many innovations, everywhere
The 2026 Ferrari will feature a new chassis, a new front suspension (push-rod), and a revised rear suspension, following various experiments in 2025. These elements are expected to help deliver a competitive car for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
To maximize the potential of the package, particularly on the power unit side – which will see a revolutionary, even cultural, shift with power split between synthetic-fuel engines and electric propulsion – Ferrari engineers ran the Cadillac on the Maranello team’s dynamometer, taking advantage of regulatory exemptions. The aim was to conduct the first indoor tests of the new power unit, verify its operation, collect data, and test reliability under conditions as close as possible to real-world usage.
This experience, as confirmed by our sources close to Maranello and some Italian media outlets such as Autoracer, proved useful for identifying potential issues or shortcomings not evident during the design phase. These are tests that the FIA does not allow for teams already competing in the world championship, but Cadillac, as a team not yet part of the F1 grid, can perform freely.
Running… on the bench
The indoor tests are conducted on a dynamometer that, according to our sources, allows reliability testing and evaluation of various parameters, helping to “break in” the car and provide a solid base of reliability – a key aspect given the limited time teams will have to prepare for a season full of novelties.
Ferrari has had access to this tool since the early 2010s. The complete car is mounted on the dynamometer, where it can run under conditions suitable for endurance tests, fuel consumption analysis, cooling efficiency, electrical component recharging, and engine mapping. The bench can be used for F1 cars, as well as GTs or prototypes.
Despite the strict bans imposed by the FIA—which Ferrari, in its role as a power unit manufacturer, may have navigated thanks to its supply partnership with Cadillac—the bench can be utilized for up to 24 consecutive hours. This involves a daytime shift where the car is run and a night shift where the vehicle is dismantled, overhauled, and its data downloaded, before being reassembled and ready for the next day’s session.
As the 2026 revolution looms, this strategic collaboration highlights the lengths to which Maranello is going to ensure their new power unit hits the ground running. By integrating Cadillac’s testing freedom with Ferrari’s advanced technological infrastructure, the Scuderia is attempting to eliminate the “teething problems” that often plague new technical cycles. If this intensive indoor simulation pays off, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc could find themselves behind the wheel of the most refined and reliable power unit on the grid when they finally roll out of the garage in Australia.
