Ferrari technical director Loïc Serra has assessed the development of the SF-26 after its two victories during the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season, but insists the Maranello team cannot yet judge its overall performance or allow itself to become satisfied. Although both of Ferrari’s major upgrade packages have delivered the expected gains, the French engineer believes progress can only be measured properly against the development rate of rival teams.
Ferrari has produced one of the strongest chassis of the new regulatory era and improved the original SF-26 specification by approximately eight tenths of a second. However, Loïc Serra is already focused on the second half of the campaign, with another important aerodynamic package expected at Zandvoort and further power unit progress planned for Monza.
Loïc Serra refuses to give Ferrari a mid-season grade
Loïc Serra has finally offered his assessment of Ferrari’s season so far, but the technical director does not believe the team’s two victories provide enough evidence for a definitive verdict. His position echoes the demanding standards expressed in Frédéric Vasseur’s mid-season assessment of Ferrari.
“A grade for this Ferrari? We will only be able to give ourselves one at the end of the season,” Loïc Serra told AutoSprint. “We are halfway through the championship, and it is genuinely too early to reach conclusions.”
The French engineer explained that he is particularly satisfied with the way the team is operating internally. However, the staggered introduction of upgrade packages across the grid makes it difficult to judge the competitive order at any single moment.
“What I am satisfied with is the dynamic within the team, because we have seen since the beginning of the year that teams progress in steps and introduce their upgrades in phases,” Loïc Serra continued. “That process is not synchronised.”
When one team introduces new components, it can temporarily move ahead of its direct rivals. The apparent order may then change again as another team responds with its own development package.
“When a car receives developments, it normally takes a step forward compared with its direct competitors,” the Ferrari technical director explained. “So whoever is ahead today takes a step backwards as soon as the others update their car.”
“For that reason, I think we will only have a proper reference and be able to give ourselves a grade at the end of the championship. In Formula 1, anyone who is not focused on tomorrow is inevitably destined to succumb.”
How Loïc Serra influenced the Ferrari SF-26 project
Loïc Serra arrived at Maranello in October 2024. His ability to influence the SF-25 was limited because the project had already been completed under Enrico Cardile by the time the French engineer joined Ferrari.
The move also marked the first technical director position of Loïc Serra’s career. Before joining Ferrari, he worked at Mercedes as a performance and tyre engineer, having previously gained experience with Michelin. Vehicle dynamics has consequently remained one of his principal areas of expertise.
That background has become particularly relevant to the SF-26. The car has stood out for the strength of its chassis and represents Ferrari’s first Formula 1 design in several years capable of managing its tyres and frequently exploiting them effectively across a stint.
The progress cannot be attributed solely to the high-profile recruit chosen by Frédéric Vasseur. The SF-26 is the product of work carried out across the entire technical organisation at Maranello. Nevertheless, Loïc Serra has also helped reshape the mentality within the department, encouraging a more methodical and forward-looking approach to development.
Ferrari’s engine deficit remains an important limitation
Results have improved, but Ferrari still needs to make further progress to fight consistently for the championship. One of the most important limitations remains the power unit deficit to Mercedes, although the introduction of the ADUO 1 specification and a more aggressive hybrid map has already reduced part of the gap.
The next step is expected to carry greater performance significance. Ferrari is preparing modifications to the turbocharger for Monza as part of its planned 2026 Italian Grand Prix engine upgrade.
Combined with aerodynamic and mechanical development, the work completed since the beginning of the season has improved the base SF-26 by approximately eight tenths of a second. That represents an impressive development curve, but Loïc Serra remains more interested in how quickly Ferrari can continue progressing during the second half of the championship.
Why Ferrari’s upgrade gains must be judged against its rivals
Upgrades have become one of the defining themes of the 2026 season. Ferrari introduced two major packages, one in Miami and another in Barcelona, and both delivered the performance predicted by the team’s simulations.
“We introduced two major packages, in Miami and Barcelona, and both worked as we expected,” Loïc Serra confirmed. “When we update the car, we expect a certain performance contribution, but if the other teams do the same thing, the effect perceived from the outside is zero.”
This is why development cannot be judged only through Ferrari’s own stopwatch gains. A successful package may still appear ineffective if Mercedes, McLaren or Red Bull introduces upgrades worth a similar amount at the same event.
“The impact of a package is always relative to what the others are doing,” Loïc Serra explained. “When we introduced the second upgrade, the other teams probably did not develop as much at the same time. It is the progression of development that matters.”
Ferrari performed strongly in Barcelona, but the balance changed again at the following round as its competitors responded. “We were competitive in Barcelona, but it was not the same in Austria because, in the meantime, the others had also improved.”
The assessment underlines why Ferrari has adopted a race-by-race approach to SF-26 development. Each update must be evaluated not only by the performance it adds, but by whether it allows the Scuderia to gain ground relative to its championship rivals.
Third major SF-26 package expected at Zandvoort
Ferrari’s third significant upgrade package is scheduled to arrive at Zandvoort. The characteristics of the Dutch circuit could allow the Italian car to showcase some of its strongest qualities, particularly the chassis performance and tyre usage that have become central features of the SF-26.
Some reliability concerns prevented Ferrari from fully exploiting the car’s potential in Hungary. The team nevertheless left the Hungaroring with evidence that the SF-26 still possessed untapped performance, as demonstrated by the detailed analysis of Ferrari’s real technical limitation at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The post-summer development programme will therefore begin at an important moment. Ferrari must continue improving while McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull introduce their own updates, a challenge that has also led Charles Leclerc to urge the Scuderia to remain aggressive in the 2026 development race.
The Zandvoort package will provide the next indication of whether Ferrari can preserve its development momentum. The complete session timetable is available in the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix schedule.
Loïc Serra says the SF-26 belongs to the whole Ferrari team
Despite his influence on the technical organisation and the new car, Loïc Serra does not regard the SF-26 as his personal project. The technical director stressed that it was created by a large group of specialists working together at Maranello.
“I do not consider this car to be mine,” Loïc Serra said. “It is instead the result of the work of a large team made up of many different professionals.”
The SF-26 is nevertheless the Ferrari to which the French engineer has devoted the greatest amount of energy since arriving in Italy. Unlike an evolutionary project based on an existing concept, the car was designed for a completely new regulatory cycle and required the technical department to begin with a blank sheet.
“Clearly, it is the car to which I have devoted the most energy since joining Maranello, partly because it is completely new,” Loïc Serra explained. “It opens a new regulatory phase for which we had to start from a blank sheet of paper.”
“It is not like developing a concept from one year to the next. It was a complete project that began from zero. It is a constantly evolving sheet of paper, subject to continuous development.”
That process remains unfinished, regardless of the two victories already achieved or the performance added since the opening race. For Loïc Serra, the standard required to fight for a Formula 1 championship leaves no room for complacency.
“Am I satisfied with this Ferrari? We can never be completely happy,” the technical director concluded. “We must always try to go beyond, to push ourselves further.”
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