Ferrari is moving to reinforce its Formula 1 power unit department one year after Wolf Zimmermann’s unexpected departure, with Maranello now under pressure to address the weaknesses exposed by its 2026 engine and lay the foundations for a substantially revised 2027 project. The challenge is not simply to replace one engineer, but to strengthen a technical structure that lost one of the key figures involved in defining the philosophy of Ferrari’s current power unit just as development was entering its most critical phase.
Twelve months have now passed since Wolf Zimmermann left Ferrari. By that point, the 2026 power unit was no longer simply a theoretical or design exercise: it was moving into the operational phase, with years of technical work having to be transformed into a package capable of performing on track. His departure therefore meant more than replacing an individual. Ferrari had to absorb the loss of technical knowledge built up over several seasons while continuing to develop a project that was already far advanced.
Why Ferrari’s 2026 power unit exposed a wider problem
Enrico Gualtieri was tasked with managing a department forced to absorb that reorganisation at an especially inconvenient moment. Ferrari had already accumulated an enormous amount of dyno work with its new power unit, but changing technical and decision-making structures in the middle of a major development programme is rarely painless. Some of the difficulties that have emerged during the 2026 Formula 1 season can also be viewed in that context.
The SF-26 power unit features several distinctive technical choices. Ferrari adopted a different construction philosophy for the cylinder head compared with rival manufacturers, while the package also uses a more compact turbo. The smaller turbo initially produced a tangible advantage at race starts during the first part of the season, before new procedures and rivals’ growing understanding of their own systems gradually reduced that difference.
The early advantage, however, did not compensate for the more significant weakness: the overall output of the internal combustion engine. Ferrari has used both of its available ADUO development opportunities to improve the power unit, but the deficit to Mercedes — and possibly Red Bull — has not been reduced by as much as Maranello needed. The differences between those development steps are explored in more detail in the Ferrari ADUO2 versus ADUO1 power unit analysis.
The problem is also broader than a simple horsepower figure. Under the 2026 regulations, the combustion engine, electrical system and energy-deployment strategy are closely interconnected, making efficiency across the complete lap increasingly important. Ferrari’s remaining weaknesses compared with the current benchmark are examined further in the analysis of where the Ferrari power unit is still losing performance to Mercedes.
Ferrari is rebuilding its power unit department
Maranello now appears ready to intervene directly in the structure of its power unit department. Motorsport.com has reported that new expertise is set to arrive within Ferrari’s engine division, although no names have yet been revealed. The nature of the reports suggests that high-level technical figures are involved, with the publication indicating that some of the expertise could come from organisations such as Red Bull Powertrains or Mercedes High Performance Powertrains.
For now, the identities of those engineers remain unknown. The coming weeks and months should clarify who will actually join Ferrari and which positions they will occupy. The broader message, however, is already apparent: Ferrari understands that its current situation cannot be addressed solely by evolving the existing concept. Maranello needs additional expertise, new perspectives and, above all, sufficient time to integrate them into the structure led by Enrico Gualtieri.
Time is precisely what Ferrari cannot afford to waste. Mercedes can still develop its power unit through the ADUO mechanism and is believed to have identified the turbo as one of the areas that could receive further attention during 2026. Red Bull, meanwhile, has no development tokens available because it represents the category benchmark.
If Mercedes succeeds in extracting another step from its power unit, Ferrari would risk seeing the gap widen again after its own developments failed to close it sufficiently. The wider strength of the Mercedes package during 2026 can also be examined in the analysis of how dominant the Mercedes W17 has been this season.
Energy efficiency remains central to Ferrari’s engine deficit
The challenge is particularly important because the 2026 power unit battle is not determined solely by peak internal combustion output. The ability to recover, manage and deploy electrical energy has become a decisive part of performance, particularly on circuits featuring long acceleration zones. Recorded straight-line figures can be explored through the F1 Top Speed Comparison, although maximum speed alone does not reveal how effectively a power unit sustains electrical assistance throughout an entire straight.
Baku provides a particularly clear example. Its long flat-out sections place a premium not only on aerodynamic efficiency but also on ensuring sufficient electrical deployment remains available throughout the acceleration phase. The challenge facing the SF-26 is examined in the analysis of Ferrari’s crucial energy-deployment test at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Yet the most important battle for Ferrari is no longer simply the remainder of the 2026 season. It is what comes next.
Ferrari’s 2027 power unit project becomes the real test
It is in the next development cycle under these regulations that Ferrari can and must change direction. Maranello is understood to be considering a substantial revision of some of the philosophies that define its current six-cylinder power unit, including work on areas such as the cylinder head, turbo and other components capable of directly affecting power, efficiency and electrical-energy management.
This would not amount to a straightforward evolution. It would give Ferrari the opportunity to address at their roots some of the technical choices that have not delivered the expected performance in 2026.
That makes Enrico Gualtieri’s role even more delicate. He must coordinate development of the new project while continuing to manage the existing department and simultaneously integrating new technical resources. According to the reports, reinforcement may not come only from rival Formula 1 power unit manufacturers: personnel could also move internally from other Ferrari programmes, including engineers currently working in closed-wheel racing.
Ferrari’s engine department is therefore entering a period of significant change. That does not mean the engineers responsible for the 2026 power unit lack the expertise required to design its successor. Rather, the margin for error has become dramatically smaller. Ferrari needs to give its technical group a broader structure and additional expertise for 2027, rather than waiting until the project is too advanced for fundamental weaknesses to be corrected.
The timing is crucial. As the 2026 season enters its decisive phase and the World Championships move closer to being settled, Ferrari’s power unit department can progressively devote more resources to the following year. The team has also stressed the wider value of continuing technical work on the current car, with the relationship between the two projects explored in the analysis of why developing the SF-26 can still benefit Ferrari’s 2027 Formula 1 car.
The power unit deficit has probably been Ferrari’s most visible technical limitation in 2026. It is not simply a matter of absolute horsepower, but of the overall efficiency of the system and its ability to convert the available energy into performance throughout an entire lap.
That is why Maranello cannot restrict itself to chasing Mercedes High Performance Powertrains with the current design. Ferrari must build the engine that comes next — and the decisions shaping that project need to be made now.
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