Ferrari technical director Loic Serra is refusing to give the SF-26 a final rating despite the major progress made during the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Two victories, regular podium contention and a substantial development gain have established Ferrari as Mercedes’ closest threat, but Serra believes the true judgement can only come once the championship is over.
The Scuderia enters the second half of the campaign with Lewis Hamilton having won in Barcelona and Charles Leclerc victorious at Silverstone. The SF-26 has been on or around the podium at almost every race, Ferrari sits second in the Constructors’ Championship and Hamilton occupies second place in the Drivers’ standings. Yet the message from Maranello remains that the project is still developing rather than approaching its finished state.
Barcelona marked a turning point for Ferrari’s 2026 season
The Spanish Grand Prix represented an important stage in Ferrari’s progress because it introduced the second major development package created under Loic Serra and his technical group. Its arrival helped change the competitive picture after a start to the season in which Mercedes had regularly set the benchmark.
Before the summer break, Frédéric Vasseur explained that the championship could effectively be divided into two periods. The Ferrari team principal identified the first as the races before Barcelona, when Mercedes had often dominated, and the second as the period from Barcelona onwards, after Ferrari’s developments arrived. Vasseur pointed out that the Scuderia had scored more points than Mercedes over that latter phase.
That progression forms part of a broader SF-26 development programme for the second half of 2026, with Ferrari continuing to pursue performance rather than settling for the gains already achieved.
The approach has combined aggressive but targeted development with what Ferrari regards as a solid technical foundation. Reliability, driveability and confidence for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have also been important, with both drivers capable of operating at a high level despite encountering difficulties at certain points of the campaign.
Execution at the circuit has generally been another strength, although Hungary stood out as a negative exception after too many mistakes affected Ferrari’s weekend. Overall, however, the team has made life sufficiently difficult for Mercedes that the championship leaders have been forced to reconsider their own post-summer development plans.
Loic Serra will only judge the Ferrari SF-26 at the end of the season
In a recent interview with AutoSprint, Loic Serra offered a detailed explanation of the thinking behind the SF-26, Ferrari’s development philosophy and the way the technical department is trying to remain competitive through the final part of the championship.
Serra stressed that he does not regard the SF-26 as his personal car, even though it is the Ferrari project into which he has invested the greatest effort since arriving at Maranello. Unlike an evolutionary design carried over from one season to another, the SF-26 began with a clean sheet. The French technical director nevertheless emphasised that it remains the product of a large team and many highly skilled engineers, sharing both the credit and responsibility across the organisation.
His attitude mirrors the pragmatic approach adopted by Frédéric Vasseur. Rather than becoming carried away by individual results, Ferrari is continuing to evaluate the project according to how it develops over the entire championship.
Loic Serra explained: “A rating can only be given at the end of the championship. The situation on track is dynamic and depends a lot on the development programme. Whoever brings an update often makes a step forward, but then falls behind when the others do the same. We brought developments in Barcelona and were very strong, but the same did not happen in Austria, where other teams brought new parts.”
Ferrari expects upgrade cycles to keep reshaping the competitive order
That pattern confirms one of the expectations surrounding the new technical era. With considerable performance still available in these cars and development coming relatively quickly through wind-tunnel work, upgrades have once again become one of the main forces shaping the competitive order.
A car can therefore look considerably stronger immediately after introducing a new package, only for that advantage to shrink when a rival reaches the next stage of its own development cycle. For Ferrari, the important measurement is not simply how much performance one upgrade produces, but whether the team can maintain a strong progression throughout the season.
Loic Serra explained: “We brought two large upgrade packages, in Miami and Barcelona, which worked as we expected, and we managed to progress. In Formula 1, however, anyone who does not think about tomorrow and stops at the present is destined to succumb.”
That mentality also explains why Ferrari has continued pushing towards another major step rather than treating its recent results as proof that the job is complete. A new SF-26 floor is being prepared for Zandvoort, where the third major aerodynamic development package of Ferrari’s season is expected.
Zandvoort upgrade and ADUO 2 engine step form Ferrari’s next phase
Ferrari’s development effort has not ended with Miami and Barcelona. A third significant package is planned for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, followed by further work on the power unit.
The ADUO 2 engine development is currently expected to arrive at Monza, unless Ferrari unexpectedly decides to bring it forward to the Netherlands. An early Dutch introduction is not currently anticipated. The planned step forms part of the broader Ferrari power-unit programme for Monza.
At Maranello, the approximate assessment is that the two major aerodynamic packages introduced so far have improved the SF-26 by around eight tenths of a second in total. ADUO 1 is considered to have provided slightly less than another tenth. Those are substantial gains, but Ferrari does not believe they remove the need for continued development.
That is particularly true because the opposition is progressing as well. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella underlined the scale of the development race after the team’s victory in Hungary, explaining: “We need to improve by another half a second to remain this competitive.” That result came after developments introduced on the MCL40.
Ferrari therefore cannot evaluate its own improvement in isolation. Even substantial gains can be offset if Mercedes, McLaren or another rival finds similar performance during the same period. The latest technical developments around the SF-26 can be followed through the Ferrari Technical Analysis section.
Loic Serra particularly encouraged by Ferrari’s new working culture
Although Serra is not yet prepared to give the SF-26 a definitive score, one aspect of Ferrari’s 2026 campaign has left him particularly satisfied: the way the organisation is working.
The French engineer, Frédéric Vasseur and Jérôme d’Ambrosio have invested heavily in developing that internal dynamic since taking up their respective roles. During 2026, Ferrari has once again shown a willingness to take risks and operate aggressively across several areas, particularly on the technical side.
That philosophy includes pursuing innovation and exploiting areas of the regulations where there is room to operate close to the limits. It reflects a Ferrari that is increasingly prepared to search for performance rather than simply follow established solutions.
The French engineer nevertheless warned against interpreting that progress as a reason for satisfaction or complacency. He explained: “You can never be completely satisfied. You must always try to go further and push the limits.”
The next stage will provide another important measure of whether that philosophy is working. Zandvoort will bring Ferrari’s third major aerodynamic package of the campaign, with the Dutch Grand Prix opening the post-summer phase, before the expected ADUO 2 power-unit development adds another element to the project at Monza.
Ferrari has already won twice and made significant progress with the SF-26, but Loic Serra’s assessment remains deliberately unfinished. The development curve, rather than an individual victory or upgrade, will ultimately determine how the car is judged when the 2026 championship reaches its conclusion.
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