The countdown is almost over: the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship is just around the corner, and the entire paddock is trying to understand what we will see on track once the off-season delivers what many insiders are already calling the biggest regulatory revolution in the history of the Circus. New power units, new aerodynamics and, above all, no solid reference points to truly assess the competitive order.
In an attempt to shed some light on what lies ahead in the coming months, the French newspaper L’Equipe interviewed Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur. The Frenchman will also be under pressure in the new championship to prove that he is the right person to lead the Scuderia after the many difficulties experienced by the team during the recently concluded season.
Heading into the unknown
“The first step was receiving the regulations and deciphering them. We have known the engine regulations for four years. When I arrived, the project was already underway,” Fred Vasseur explained to his French colleagues, in a way already setting expectations. “Today we are already starting to talk about the 2031 engine. For the 2026 power unit, we began by building two or three engines in parallel to test different ideas before committing to a single concept.”
Vasseur then highlighted one of the main challenges linked to power unit development. “The problem with the engine is the very long manufacturing lead time for certain parts. The chassis, on the other hand, is a different story. We only received the final regulations at the end of 2024,” he added.
Tyres will still be crucial
When explaining how the design process for the new car works, Fred Vasseur pointed to an aspect that has perhaps been discussed less but promises to be absolutely decisive once again: tyres. “The most difficult part is, first of all, understanding the tyres,” said the Ferrari team principal. “We were only able to test the 2026 tyres last week in Abu Dhabi, and on top of that with a 2025 car.”
He continued by underlining the level of uncertainty engineers are facing. “We had the dimensions from Pirelli, but we had to imagine what constraints the car would impose. This will determine lap time, weight and weight distribution. The key is trying to anticipate the performance of the car. And for all of this, we needed to know the level of grip,” Fred Vasseur explained.
“If you have a car that takes corners flat-out thanks to maximum tyre grip, then energy recovery from the power unit becomes fundamental,” added the man in charge of Ferrari’s pit wall. “You have to work on the brakes because they overheat. On the other hand, if you have tyres with little grip, the drivers will reach the finish line having lifted off on the straights. No more brake temperature issues, no more energy recovery problems; the car is transformed.”
Adaptability is the key
For Fred Vasseur, however, the real keyword for 2026 will be adaptability. The competitive order that emerges during testing and the opening races could be completely reshuffled as the season progresses. “We all make predictions, but with these new regulations we need to be able to correct them,” he warned.
“In 2025, if you look at the Bahrain tests and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix classification, there were no surprises. Next year, everything will change continuously. The situation in Barcelona, during the closed-door test at the end of January, will not be the same as in Suzuka, the third race of the season at the end of March.”
Fred Vasseur stressed how steep the learning curve will be. “We will need to learn and to understand. The start of the season will be crucial because we are all heading into the unknown. I am not talking so much about Barcelona, which will be used mainly to make the new car reliable.”
He then looked ahead to the early testing phase. “In the first Bahrain test we will start to see the real cars, and perhaps in the second Bahrain test there will be the first surprises in wing designs or other elements. We will say to ourselves: ‘Damn, we hadn’t thought of that.’ At that point, another development cycle will begin.”
The French manager concluded by outlining Ferrari’s approach. “We will restart from these ideas with the goal of developing them for the Bahrain or Miami Grands Prix, which should be two important milestones in the calendar for car development,” he said.
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