Of the three Fridays seen so far in the 2026 Formula 1 season, the one at Suzuka has undoubtedly been the most challenging for the Ferrari SF-26. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have not yet found the optimal setup for the Japanese circuit, something that was evident not only in the nervous behavior of the car throughout the day, but also in the outright performance, with Ferrari trailing both McLaren and Mercedes during FP2.
Providing context to Ferrari’s performance in the Japanese Grand Prix practice sessions was sporting director Diego Ioverno, who offered a measured assessment of the situation.
Ioverno: “A smooth session, without major drama”
According to Ioverno, the issues encountered by Ferrari at Suzuka had already been anticipated, while the positive takeaway is that the team was able to complete its planned programme thanks to the total of 103 laps completed across the two sessions.
“I think it was a fairly smooth session for us, without major drama. Obviously, there are some difficulties we need to address for tomorrow, but overall the picture is more or less what we expected,” he explained.
Even McLaren’s performance, which was particularly strong today and even ahead of Mercedes in FP2 thanks to Oscar Piastri, did not come as a surprise to Ferrari or to Ioverno himself.
“I think that, especially in qualifying configuration or on low fuel, McLaren has been strong in the first two races as well. So they are more or less where we expected them to be. We have work to do, everything is relative, so we will see tomorrow whether our work has brought more benefits compared to theirs,” he added.
Driver struggles and the impact of new asphalt
In their post-session comments, Ferrari’s drivers did not hide that this had been a more complicated Friday compared to previous race weekends. Charles Leclerc highlighted that the main focus remains on improving single-lap performance, even though the SF-26 appeared more competitive in race pace, once again looking stronger than McLaren and not too far from Mercedes over long runs.
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, faced significant difficulties in finding the right feeling with the car. During FP2, he openly admitted over the radio: “I’m not fast because I don’t have confidence in the car,” before adding in his end-of-day remarks: “I think it’s just the nature of this track. It’s an incredibly demanding circuit. It’s amazing to drive, but finding the right balance is key.”
Ioverno believes that part of these challenges can also be attributed to the newly resurfaced sections of the Suzuka circuit. After last year’s work from the chicane exit to the end of the first sector, further resurfacing has now been completed across the latter part of the track.
“As you know, they have fully resurfaced the second part of the circuit as well, so it’s very smooth,” the Ferrari sporting director pointed out. “It’s a key factor in making sure the tyres work properly. You saw many mistakes, not just from our drivers but from others as well. So, as I said, there is work we need to do; Lewis will regain confidence, I hope, and Charles was also struggling a bit. We will see what we can do tomorrow.”
Ferrari now heads into the overnight analysis phase with a clear objective: to refine the setup and unlock more performance ahead of qualifying, in a weekend where the margins appear particularly tight and every detail could make the difference.
Ferrari is therefore treating their Friday deficit as a calculated hurdle rather than a crisis. Based on the content of Diego Ioverno’s analysis, the team is banking on their superior race pace and overnight simulation work to bridge the gap to the front-runners.
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