Ferrari has reason for concern after the Italian Grand Prix exposed one of the biggest weaknesses of the 2026 Formula 1 power units: energy management on circuits dominated by long straights. Monza provided the toughest examination yet of the new hybrid systems, and with Baku, Las Vegas and Sepang still to come, some of the same problems could soon return.
Madrid should offer a different challenge, but several circuits in the second half of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar place similarly heavy demands on energy deployment. At Monza, teams had to increase energy harvesting during qualifying, while the race featured numerous overtakes created by striking differences in straight-line speed. Unfortunately, the upcoming high-speed events could produce a similar picture.
Monza exposes the 2026 F1 power unit energy problem
The 2026 power units proved reliable at Monza, with Honda the main exception. Reliability, which had been such an important subject at the beginning of the season, is therefore no longer the principal concern. Attention has instead shifted almost entirely towards superclipping and the need to recharge electrical energy.
Baku, Las Vegas and Sepang are particularly concerning because they could effectively reproduce what happened in Italy. There was plenty of overtaking at Monza and the race provided action, but many of the position changes resembled those seen at the season-opening race in Melbourne, with large speed differentials creating moves that appeared artificial and not particularly exciting.
For Ferrari, the Italian Grand Prix was particularly revealing. A detailed look at the Ferrari ADUO-2 power unit and energy deployment at Monza highlighted how the issue extends beyond the internal combustion engine and into the way electrical energy is recovered, stored and deployed around a lap.
2026 power unit rules turn attention towards next season
The regulation changes introduced at Miami will be the only and final modifications of this kind during the current championship. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem have indicated that the situation will change next year, with a new 60/40 power split being introduced.
The 2026 cars have improved since the opening Grands Prix when it comes to extreme speed differentials, although the circuits used early in the season – with the exception of Suzuka – did not expose the problem particularly severely. At Monza, however, the much-discussed superclipping phenomenon returned to centre stage, just as many had predicted.
The Italian Grand Prix may have the highest average speed of the season, but it is not the only venue capable of exposing the limitations of the current system. Ferrari’s own SF-26 power unit package demonstrates why outright horsepower is only part of the equation under the 2026 regulations.
Baku, Las Vegas and Sepang could amplify superclipping
Baku, Las Vegas and Sepang are expected to be the three rounds where energy harvesting and relatively easy straight-line overtaking become most noticeable. At Monza, top speeds recorded without a slipstream or Overtake Mode were among the lowest seen there in the past 30 years, an indication that circuits featuring long straights could attract the most criticism during Formula 1’s new technical era.
Yet the circuits themselves should be the last element to receive the blame. The questionable nature of this type of racing comes from the cars rather than the layouts. The hope is that the remaining races deliver enough genuine action to temporarily push concerns surrounding the new power units into the background.
F1 2026 cars take one step forward and two back
The aerodynamic and chassis changes introduced for 2026 have undoubtedly brought significant positives. The cars are smaller, narrower and lighter, all of which represent welcome developments. Active aerodynamics, controversial though it may be, has also introduced something genuinely new to Formula 1.
The aspect that has most negatively affected the experience for both drivers and spectators is the battery management required by the new power units. The problem was never simply the regulation change itself, but the desire to create more action after some of the objectively less entertaining races produced by the previous generation of ground-effect cars.
The 2025 power units, had they been adapted to the new chassis and sustainable fuel, would have produced an impressive package compared with what Formula 1 has become accustomed to seeing this year. At circuits such as Monaco and Hungary, the difference is less obvious. At Monza and at several upcoming venues – particularly Baku – it will be impossible to overlook.
The hope is that 2027 resolves many of the problems encountered this season, although that appears highly unlikely given the extremely short development window available for the revised power units.
Ferrari ADUO-2 leaves concerns ahead of Monza-style circuits
From Ferrari’s perspective, there is still a degree of concern because the ADUO-2 version of its power unit did not provide especially encouraging answers when it came to closing the gap to Mercedes. The upgrade itself represented another stage of a broader development effort, including changes to Ferrari’s ADUO-2 turbo concept, but Monza showed that the overall deficit has not disappeared.
The Scuderia’s problems in Italy were also closely linked to the way energy was deployed across the lap, with a subsequent analysis of Ferrari’s altered Monza energy strategy underlining how difficult it was to overcome the SF-26’s weakness on the straights.
Circuits with characteristics similar to Monza could therefore bring the same issues back to the surface. That is an uncomfortable prospect for Ferrari, especially with McLaren applying pressure in the Constructors’ Championship and several power-sensitive races still to come.
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