The controversy surrounding Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix has dominated the discussion around Ferrari, but it risks obscuring the far more important issue that emerged at Monza: the SF-26 was simply not competitive enough. Despite arriving at its home race with aerodynamic changes and the evolved ADUO-2 power unit, Ferrari remained clearly behind Mercedes and McLaren over the course of the Grand Prix.
The 2026 Italian Grand Prix will probably be remembered for two major reasons. The first was Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s extraordinary comeback, with the Mercedes driver turning a start from 19th position into a commanding victory. Along the way, Andrea Kimi Antonelli also overtook his team-mate, who had started from the front row. It was a special achievement and one that could prove to be among the first major milestones on a path that may eventually lead him towards a Formula 1 world title.
The second defining episode inevitably involved Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Their contact at the first chicane, Lewis Hamilton’s trip through the gravel and the positions subsequently lost by the British driver triggered a debate that continued even after Charles Leclerc later crashed at Parabolica. Statements, clarifications and competing interpretations of Ferrari’s rules of engagement followed, accompanied by an enormous amount of controversy.
Lewis Hamilton spoke publicly, Charles Leclerc found himself at the centre of the discussion, and social media did the rest. Supporters of the seven-time world champion lined up on one side, fans of Charles Leclerc on the other, while part of Ferrari’s fanbase appeared to become trapped in an internal battle where understanding exactly what happened seemed less important than deciding who was right and who was wrong.
That is not an especially useful direction for the debate. Being passionate about Formula 1 does not require turning every incident into an ideological battle or defending one driver regardless of the circumstances. Sometimes it would be enough to observe what happened, analyse it and allow emotions to settle before launching into social-media arguments that ultimately do little more than fuel an unproductive conflict.
Hamilton-Leclerc controversy hides Ferrari SF-26 performance problem
Paradoxically, all of this noise may even have helped Ferrari. That is provocative, of course, but only to a point. While attention has focused on the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who was responsible for what and the supposed rules of engagement between them, the most significant conclusion from Monza has slipped into the background: the Ferrari SF-26 was not fast enough.
The Scuderia arrived at its home Grand Prix with minor aerodynamic updates designed primarily to adapt the car to Monza’s unusual low-drag demands. Among them was a modified SF-26 FTM aimed at reducing drag and improving efficiency. More importantly, Ferrari also introduced the ADUO-2 version of its power unit.
The first development step had been introduced in Austria and had not immediately produced the hoped-for results on its debut. The situation subsequently improved, with victories in Barcelona and Silverstone as well as other positive results. Ferrari had therefore arrived at Monza hoping its latest engine evolution could provide another meaningful step forward.
Ferrari expected more from the ADUO-2 power unit at Monza
Expectations surrounding the new power-unit evolution were higher. The anticipated increase had been discussed in the region of 10 to 15 horsepower, meaning a more visible performance gain was expected. The technical changes behind Ferrari’s ADUO-2 development therefore attracted particular attention ahead of a circuit where power and efficiency carry considerable importance.
There were some encouraging signs in qualifying, when Ferrari appeared to have made a little more progress. The race, however, produced a considerably harsher picture of where the SF-26 really stood. Ferrari had hoped that the latest SF-26 power-unit package would contribute to closing the performance gap, but Sunday suggested that much more was required.
At Monza, Ferrari suffered the expected resurgence of Mercedes, McLaren and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, which was equipped with an RB Powertrains-Ford power unit. Charles Leclerc’s eventual sixth-place finish is difficult to disguise, regardless of everything that happened during his race. Two Mercedes finished ahead, two McLarens finished ahead and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull was also in front.
It is also worth remembering that the other RB22 had started from the back of the field. Had that not been the case, Ferrari’s position in the competitive hierarchy could potentially have looked even worse.
Ferrari must put performance back at the centre of the debate
This should be the main issue for anyone analysing Ferrari’s Italian Grand Prix. The Maranello team effectively finished its home race as the fourth force, at a circuit that had already been identified before the weekend as particularly difficult for the SF-26. Yet after qualifying, when the deficit appeared smaller, it was difficult to anticipate such a challenging Sunday.
None of this necessarily means the ADUO-2 power unit is destined to disappoint at the remaining circuits. Power-unit performance cannot be judged in isolation. It must be assessed alongside track characteristics, chassis behaviour, aerodynamic efficiency and energy management. Different circuits could therefore allow the Ferrari package to express more of its potential.
That broader context was also important when Charles Leclerc assessed Ferrari’s engine and floor developments ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. An engine gain alone cannot automatically overcome weaknesses elsewhere in the overall car package.
Nevertheless, Monza delivered a warning that cannot simply be ignored. The expected performance step did not materialise to the extent required for Ferrari to close consistently on Mercedes and McLaren. That matters far more to the team’s competitive prospects than the social-media argument surrounding its two drivers.
Ferrari’s championship ambitions face a growing performance challenge
That is precisely what the noise around Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc has helped to hide. Discussing rules of engagement is legitimate, and it would probably be sensible for Ferrari to define them more clearly internally. But rules of engagement were not responsible for the size of the performance deficit at Monza. The car’s performance was.
The Italian Grand Prix may therefore have delivered an even more significant message. Ferrari’s Constructors’ Championship dream is moving increasingly far away, while the Drivers’ Championship also appears effectively compromised unless the team can produce a performance turnaround that cannot currently be taken for granted.
At the same time, McLaren is beginning to gain ground again in the standings and is starting to put Ferrari’s second position under pressure. That makes the ability to extract more from the SF-26 increasingly important as the season continues.
The focus should therefore move away from endless discussion of gossip, factions and battles between groups of supporters. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will inevitably generate debate, views and engagement, but they are not Ferrari’s primary problem. The real issue is that the SF-26, together with its power unit package, is still not delivering the level of competitiveness required to fight Mercedes and McLaren consistently.
Ferrari had targeted a significant step for Monza, including an expected performance gain from its latest power-unit development. The home Grand Prix showed that the overall package still has work to do if those expectations are to translate into results.
Unlike a controversy on social media, that problem cannot be solved by taking sides or creating another argument. It can only be addressed by improving the car. That is what Ferrari must remember at Maranello – and it is also the issue that deserves to remain at the centre of the conversation surrounding the team.
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