Ferrari could emerge as a leading contender for the 2027 Formula 1 World Championship if it addresses the power deficit that Juan Pablo Montoya believes is holding back Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The former Formula 1 driver expects a much closer battle between the leading teams next season and has identified Maranello as a potential favourite, provided its engine development programme delivers the necessary improvement.
Mercedes established a commanding advantage at the beginning of the 2026 championship, but the competitive picture has become increasingly interesting as the season has progressed. With substantial power-unit changes approaching for 2027, Montoya believes Ferrari has an opportunity to challenge the established order rather than remain behind its main rivals.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper AS, Juan Pablo Montoya argued that the next championship could produce a major shake-up at the front. He acknowledged that Mercedes had dominated the early stages of 2026, but suggested the developing competition would make it much harder for one constructor to maintain such an advantage next year.
Juan Pablo Montoya identifies Ferrari’s biggest obstacle to 2027 F1 title
Juan Pablo Montoya believes Ferrari already possesses a competitive foundation, but its power unit remains the crucial area requiring improvement. The Colombian suggested that he would favour the Scuderia for the 2027 championship if the team could extract more performance from its engine.
In his assessment, Ferrari is not particularly far away from the leading teams. He considers its car more manageable to drive than the Red Bull, although he believes the Milton Keynes team currently makes more effective use of its available engine performance.
Montoya estimated that Ferrari still has approximately one or two per cent of engine performance to recover. He believes there is sufficient scope for Maranello to make that improvement, potentially giving Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc the machinery required to compete consistently for the championship.
The assessment places Ferrari’s power-unit department at the centre of its 2027 ambitions. While aerodynamic development and chassis performance remain important, Montoya considers engine output a particularly significant limitation of the SF-26.
Ferrari has continued developing its chassis throughout the current season, including a substantial aerodynamic package introduced for the United States Grand Prix. The latest changes to the floor, sidepods and diffuser are examined in our technical analysis of Ferrari’s SF-26 Austin upgrades.
However, even an improved aerodynamic platform cannot completely eliminate an engine deficit. That is why progress on the power-unit side could become especially valuable as Ferrari prepares for another season under Formula 1’s new technical regulations.
Mercedes dominance gives way to closer competition in 2026
Mercedes began the 2026 Formula 1 season with a particularly strong interpretation of the new engine, aerodynamic and chassis regulations. Its initial technical concept provided an immediate competitive advantage, allowing George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to establish the team as the benchmark during the opening rounds.
Kimi Antonelli capitalised on that advantage by claiming five consecutive Grand Prix victories as he opened his Formula 1 winning account. The Italian also established a substantial early championship lead, creating an opportunity to become the youngest world champion in the sport’s history.
After the Monaco Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli held a 66-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton at the top of the Drivers’ Championship. By the completion of 17 rounds, the Mercedes driver had built a 102-point lead over teammate George Russell.
The 20-year-old therefore remained firmly positioned for a potentially historic championship achievement heading into the United States Grand Prix, the 18th round of a 23-race calendar.
However, Mercedes’ early dominance has not translated into complete control of the entire season. Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have all demonstrated that the championship leader can be beaten.
Lewis Hamilton brought Kimi Antonelli’s sequence of victories to an end with his first Grand Prix success for Ferrari in Barcelona. Charles Leclerc subsequently added another victory at Silverstone, giving the Maranello team its second win of the 2026 campaign.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen have also secured two victories, underlining the increasing competitiveness of the leading teams as the season has developed.
This changing balance is central to Juan Pablo Montoya’s expectations for 2027. Although Mercedes benefited significantly from its early advantage, the former driver does not expect the same level of superiority to continue indefinitely.
Ferrari’s engine deficit under Formula 1’s ADUO regulations
The power-unit performance differences between Formula 1’s manufacturers have become an important part of the 2026 championship. Under the FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities framework, commonly known as ADUO, manufacturers can receive opportunities to introduce engine improvements according to their assessed performance deficit.
Red Bull Powertrains has emerged as the reference point for internal-combustion engine performance. According to the FIA assessments described under the ADUO system, Red Bull has twice been classified as possessing the strongest combustion engine on the grid.
Mercedes is understood to be approximately two to four per cent behind Red Bull in internal-combustion engine performance. Ferrari, Audi and Honda are further adrift, with each assessed as lacking at least four per cent compared with the power available to Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
Reports have also suggested that Ferrari’s internal-combustion engine is less powerful than Audi’s first Formula 1 power unit. Audi entered the championship in 2026 with its own factory engine operation, adding another manufacturer to the competition under the revised technical rules.
These assessments help explain why Juan Pablo Montoya believes Ferrari could benefit substantially from further engine development. The difference between having a competitive chassis and possessing the complete package required to win a championship may depend on recovering a relatively small percentage of power.
The evolving competitive relationship between Ferrari and its rivals has also been visible on track. At Austin, Charles Leclerc’s strong FP2 performance highlighted Ferrari’s improving competitiveness, while Mercedes and Red Bull remained close enough to underline how finely balanced the leading teams have become.
Ferrari’s ADUO upgrades and the reported bigger turbocharger for 2027
The ADUO framework provides different development opportunities depending on the performance of each manufacturer’s power unit. Mercedes can introduce one engine upgrade during 2026 and another in 2027, while Ferrari, Audi and Honda have access to two upgrades in each season.
Ferrari has already used its two ADUO opportunities during the current championship, introducing developments at the Austrian and Italian Grands Prix. Despite those changes, the Scuderia remains behind the leading engine manufacturers in the performance assessments.
Attention has consequently shifted towards the next stage of Maranello’s power-unit programme. Reports suggest Ferrari is working on a larger turbocharger for 2027, having decided against introducing an earlier version with its second ADUO upgrade at Monza because the team was not sufficiently confident in its reliability.
The second ADUO development is also reported to have delivered an improvement of only around five horsepower, leaving Ferrari with further work to complete before it can match the strongest combustion engines.
The reported decision to delay the larger turbocharger highlights the balance between performance and reliability. A component that promises additional output must also be sufficiently dependable for competitive use, particularly when engine failures can carry significant consequences across a championship campaign.
For Ferrari, the immediate objective is to translate its remaining development potential into a stronger and more complete 2027 power unit. The challenge is not simply to identify an improvement on paper, but to introduce changes capable of delivering usable performance when the car is on track.
Why Formula 1’s 2027 engine rules could benefit Ferrari
Ferrari’s opportunity is also connected to a broader change in the Formula 1 power-unit regulations. All five engine manufacturers will be required to produce revised power units for 2027 as the championship adjusts the balance between internal-combustion power and electrical energy.
The 2026 rules introduced a power distribution approaching an equal split between the combustion engine and electrical systems. Formula 1 has subsequently committed to reducing the electrical contribution after concluding that the near-50/50 arrangement had not delivered the intended results.
For 2027, the balance is set to move to approximately 58 per cent internal-combustion power and 42 per cent electrical power. A further adjustment is planned for 2028, when the distribution will shift to 60 per cent combustion power and 40 per cent electrical power.
These changes will require manufacturers to reconsider how their power units are designed and optimised. They also create another development challenge for teams attempting to retain their current advantages.
For Ferrari, the changes represent both an opportunity and a significant technical test. The manufacturer must improve its combustion engine while adapting to a different regulatory balance, with its competitors undertaking their own development programmes.
The potential importance of this transition extends beyond the power unit itself. Ferrari’s ongoing work with the SF-26 could also provide valuable experience for future development, particularly as the team evaluates the behaviour of its aerodynamic platform. Our analysis of the lessons Ferrari could take from its Austin upgrades into 2027 examines that longer-term technical perspective.
Can Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc challenge for the 2027 championship?
Juan Pablo Montoya’s prediction offers an encouraging perspective for Ferrari supporters, particularly because it is based on the belief that the team’s existing car is already competitive enough to provide a foundation for a championship challenge.
The former Formula 1 driver does not consider Ferrari’s overall package fundamentally uncompetitive. Instead, he believes the team has a clear area in which it must improve to unlock greater potential.
That distinction is significant for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Both drivers have already demonstrated Ferrari’s ability to win races in 2026, but challenging for a World Championship requires sustained performance against Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren.
The Scuderia’s two victories have provided evidence of its competitive potential, while Mercedes’ substantial championship advantage illustrates the difficulty of maintaining that performance throughout an entire season.
Montoya nevertheless expects the competitive order to become more open in 2027. His assessment suggests that Ferrari could take advantage of the evolving regulations and the development opportunities available to its power-unit operation.
At the same time, the team’s ambitions are accompanied by growing expectations. Ferrari’s prolonged wait for another championship has placed additional importance on the next phase of its development programme, a subject explored in Piero Ferrari’s assessment of the pressure facing the team in 2027.
For Lewis Hamilton, a stronger Ferrari engine could help provide the competitive package needed to challenge for another world title. For Charles Leclerc, it could offer another opportunity to convert his speed and experience with the Maranello team into a sustained championship campaign.
The decisive issue is whether Ferrari can deliver the power-unit improvement identified by Juan Pablo Montoya while continuing to develop a competitive chassis and aerodynamic package.
Mercedes may no longer enjoy the overwhelming advantage it possessed at the beginning of 2026, but Ferrari’s rivals are also working to strengthen their machinery. The upcoming regulation changes therefore provide an opportunity rather than a guarantee.
Juan Pablo Montoya believes Ferrari has enough potential to become a leading contender in 2027. If Maranello can recover the engine performance it currently lacks, the Colombian sees a realistic path towards challenging Mercedes and fighting for the World Championship. Whether that prediction becomes reality will depend on Ferrari turning its development opportunities into the sustained performance required to win.
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