After the disappointing Austrian Grand Prix, the debate immediately intensified throughout the Formula 1 paddock and among fans, journalists and technical analysts. For many observers, Ferrari’s problems appeared to have one clear explanation: the turbocharger. The discussion quickly focused on one specific technical aspect of the SF-26, with many suggesting that the design philosophy of Ferrari’s turbo was the main reason behind the team’s lack of competitiveness at the Red Bull Ring.
The theory of Ferrari’s so-called “small turbo” rapidly became the simplest and most popular explanation for the SF-26’s struggles in Austria. It seemed like an easy conclusion to reach. The Red Bull Ring is a circuit where engine performance, acceleration and top speed play a crucial role, making it natural for attention to shift towards the power unit. However, we had already pointed out that the reality was far more complex than simply blaming one mechanical component.
Rather than identifying a single culprit, our technical analysis suggested that several different factors combined to create Ferrari’s disappointing performance. Looking back now, Charles Leclerc’s victory at Silverstone appears to provide even stronger support for that interpretation, reinforcing the idea that the SF-26’s weaknesses were never limited to the turbocharger alone.
The turbo never told the whole story
It is certainly true that Ferrari’s turbocharger features characteristics that differ from those adopted by its main rivals. A more compact compressor offers several important advantages, particularly in terms of throttle response, power delivery and the way the engine reacts when drivers return to full throttle after slower corners. These qualities can provide significant benefits in many racing situations, allowing the power unit to deliver energy more efficiently and making the car feel more responsive under acceleration.
However, every engineering solution inevitably involves compromises. A smaller turbocharger can also reveal certain limitations on circuits where outright top speed and altitude become decisive performance factors, exactly as happens at the Red Bull Ring. The Austrian circuit places exceptional emphasis on acceleration zones followed by long uphill straights, where every kilometre per hour becomes increasingly valuable.
Those characteristics became particularly evident during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. Ferrari appeared unable to match the straight-line performance of some of its direct competitors, giving further fuel to the growing theory that the turbocharger itself represented the team’s biggest weakness. However, blaming the entire problem solely on the turbo would have been an oversimplification.
Formula 1 performance is almost never determined by one single component. Instead, every aspect of the car works together as part of a much larger technical package, where aerodynamic balance, suspension setup, tyre behaviour, engine characteristics and circuit layout constantly influence one another. In our technical analysis, we highlighted that one of the key factors was Ferrari’s setup choice. To reduce its deficit on the straights, Ferrari opted for an extremely low-downforce aerodynamic configuration.
That decision made perfect sense when looking purely at qualifying performance. Reducing aerodynamic drag helped maximise top speed and partially compensate for the characteristics of the power unit, allowing the SF-26 to become more competitive over a single flying lap. Unfortunately, what works during qualifying does not always translate into race pace. While this solution worked well over one qualifying lap, it proved far more difficult to manage across an entire Grand Prix distance.
With less aerodynamic downforce, tyre sliding increased significantly throughout every stint. That additional sliding generated higher tyre temperatures, accelerated tyre degradation and made it considerably more difficult for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to preserve consistent grip as fuel loads changed during the race. As tyre degradation increased, Ferrari gradually lost performance over longer runs, making it increasingly difficult to maintain competitive lap times against rivals whose cars generated greater aerodynamic stability.
In other words, the turbo represented only one part of a much larger technical picture. The interaction between the engine characteristics, aerodynamic choices, tyre management and overall vehicle balance ultimately produced the disappointing result seen in Austria.
Silverstone reveals a completely different Ferrari
The British Grand Prix completely changed perceptions of the SF-26 single-seater. Only one week after Austria, Ferrari suddenly appeared transformed. From the very first laps of the race weekend, the car looked significantly more stable, predictable and balanced through Silverstone’s famous sequence of high-speed corners. The Italian side showed genuinely competitive race pace from the opening laps, allowing Charles Leclerc to control the race comfortably throughout the first half of the Grand Prix.
His tyre management looked considerably stronger, while the overall balance of the SF-26 inspired confidence throughout every phase of the race. It was a dramatically different performance from the one witnessed only seven days earlier in Austria. The contrast between the two weekends immediately raises an obvious question. If the turbocharger had truly been the only limiting factor, Ferrari would have struggled to transform its competitiveness so dramatically within such a short period of time.
The fundamental characteristics of the power unit had not changed between Austria and Silverstone. Ferrari did not introduce a completely new engine specification in just one week. The turbocharger itself remained the same, yet the overall performance improved enormously. That alone suggests that the Austrian result cannot be explained solely by the turbocharger and that is precisely the most interesting aspect.
The British Grand Prix appears to reinforce the argument that Ferrari’s technical package must always be analysed as a complete system rather than through the performance of one isolated component. The Red Bull Ring was probably a special case, as Austria and Silverstone represent two fundamentally different challenges for Formula 1 teams. Although both circuits demand highly efficient cars, they reward completely different technical characteristics, considering that the Red Bull Ring heavily rewards top speed, acceleration and overall power unit performance.
Its relatively short lap features multiple heavy braking zones followed by rapid acceleration, placing enormous importance on engine efficiency. Silverstone, by contrast, places much greater emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency, high-speed stability, mechanical balance and tyre management. Corners like Maggotts, Becketts, Chapel, Copse and Stowe continuously test the aerodynamic platform of every Formula 1 car.
The SF-26 seen in Great Britain looked considerably more balanced across every phase of the lap. Rather than fighting instability, Charles Leclerc appeared able to drive naturally and consistently, extracting performance without excessively stressing the tyres. That represented one of the clearest differences compared to Austria. Throughout most of the race, Charles Leclerc controlled the pace without ever appearing to come under genuine pressure from the chasing cars.
Ferrari seemed capable of maintaining consistent lap times while carefully managing tyre degradation, allowing the team to execute its strategy with confidence. Only in the closing stages, before Andrea Kimi Antonelli encountered his unfortunate reliability issue, did Mercedes begin to reduce the gap. Even then, it remains impossible to determine whether Charles Leclerc was simply managing his advantage or whether Andrea Kimi Antonelli genuinely possessed superior race pace during those final laps.
Drivers leading a Grand Prix frequently manage tyre wear, battery deployment, fuel consumption and engine modes depending on the evolving race situation. Without complete telemetry, it is impossible to know exactly how much pace Charles Leclerc still had in reserve. That uncertainty prevents any definitive conclusion regarding the true performance difference between Ferrari and Mercedes during the closing stages of the race.
The turbo remains an important factor to monitor
None of this means that the turbocharger discussion should now be completely dismissed. Far from it. The characteristics of Ferrari’s power unit will almost certainly continue to influence the behaviour of the SF-26 on circuits with very different technical demands over the remainder of the Formula 1 season. Certain tracks naturally favour one engineering philosophy over another. On circuits where top speed becomes the overriding priority, the Maranello team may still face challenges that are less evident elsewhere.
Likewise, venues with significant altitude changes or prolonged full-throttle sections may continue to highlight the specific characteristics of Ferrari’s turbocharger. However, Silverstone clearly demonstrates that reducing all of Ferrari’s difficulties to the “small turbo” alone risks oversimplifying what is actually a far more sophisticated and interconnected technical picture.
Setup choices, tyre management, circuit characteristics, aerodynamic efficiency, suspension behaviour and overall vehicle balance remain equally decisive elements. Every Formula 1 car represents an extremely complex combination of thousands of interacting variables and changing one element inevitably affects many others. That is precisely why technical analysis must always consider the complete package rather than searching for one simple explanation.
Silverstone is certainly not definitive proof as one race alone can never provide all the answers in modern Formula 1. Nevertheless, it does offer important confirmation of the technical analysis we presented in the days leading up to the British Grand Prix. Even immediately after the Austrian Grand Prix, we had already argued that the Red Bull Ring represented an unusual circuit capable of exaggerating several of the SF-26’s weaknesses and the events at Silverstone appear to support that conclusion.
Charles Leclerc’s victory in Great Britain strongly suggests that Ferrari had not suddenly lost its competitiveness after Austria. Instead, the team had encountered an exceptionally unfavourable technical combination involving circuit characteristics, aerodynamic setup and tyre behaviour that amplified existing limitations far beyond what would normally be expected. Now the real test will arrive at Spa-Francorchamps.
The legendary Belgian circuit, with its combination of long straights, extremely high-speed corners, demanding elevation changes and famous sections like Eau Rouge, Raidillon and Blanchimont, will provide an outstanding benchmark for evaluating the Italian side’s true level of competitiveness. Spa has traditionally exposed both the strengths and weaknesses of Formula 1 cars more clearly than many other circuits.
It will therefore represent the ideal opportunity to assess just how much Ferrari has reduced the gap to Mercedes and whether the turbocharger continues to play a significant role in limiting the overall performance of the SF-26. If Ferrari proves to be genuinely competitive in Belgium as well, then Silverstone will no longer appear to be an isolated result or a fortunate weekend. Instead, it will become strong evidence that the SF-26’s technical limitations were never solely the consequence of the much-discussed “small turbo.”
It would confirm what our earlier technical analysis had already suggested: Ferrari’s performance has always depended on the interaction between multiple technical factors, and understanding the complete picture is far more important than focusing on a single component in isolation.
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