Ferrari’s victory at the Spanish Grand Prix and its disappointing performance at the Austrian Grand Prix revealed two completely different sides of the same SF-26. While the Barcelona success showcased the car at its very best, Spielberg exposed just how sensitive Ferrari’s 2026 challenger can be when the setup is not perfectly dialled in.
Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Barcelona was the product of a near-perfect combination of circumstances that Ferrari managed to exploit brilliantly. Just two weeks later, however, at the Red Bull Ring, the Italian team found itself firmly established as the fourth-fastest force on the grid, with no controversial incidents or bad luck to blame for the result. In reality, neither weekend probably reflected the SF-26’s true level of competitiveness. The Ferrari looked exceptionally strong in Spain, while in Austria it appeared unusually uncompetitive. By the end of the Spielberg weekend, the clear impression was that something had gone wrong during the preparation of the car, particularly with the work completed on Friday and the overall setup direction chosen by the team.
The final numbers highlighted Ferrari’s difficult afternoon. Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line 26 seconds behind the race winner, while Charles Leclerc finished 45 seconds adrift. The biggest issue for the two Ferrari drivers was not the power unit, which still remains behind Mercedes in outright horsepower, but rather a setup that never allowed the SF-26 to achieve the balance required to manage the race effectively.
“I was sliding around, and as a result I was overheating the rear tyres quite a lot,” Charles Leclerc explained after the race.
Lewis Hamilton experienced similar problems throughout the Grand Prix. Ferrari tried every compound that Pirelli had brought to Spielberg, yet none of them enabled him to produce consistently competitive pace.
“The car didn’t like any of the tyres,” Lewis Hamilton admitted. “It was a tough race, really very difficult.”
Ferrari’s weaknesses had already become apparent during the long-run simulations in Friday afternoon’s second free practice session, when the gap to its direct rivals looked significant. Overnight setup changes improved the car’s one-lap pace and allowed Ferrari to take a noticeable step forward in qualifying, but they also raised concerns about how the SF-26 would perform over the full 71-lap race distance.
During the opening laps, both Ferrari drivers attempted to stay with the Mercedes cars, taking advantage of their strong grid positions. However, from a tyre management perspective, that approach ultimately proved costly.
“We had to change strategy,” Frederic Vasseur explained, “but everything went wrong.”
Lewis Hamilton also described how promising the opening stages had initially seemed before the balance of the car quickly deteriorated: “In the opening laps I overtook Charles and I thought the race could develop quite well,” Lewis Hamilton said. “Then I found myself fighting George. I managed to hold him off for only a few laps, after which the rear tyres started losing grip. For some reason, the balance was very unstable.”
By the chequered flag, the verdict from the circuit was unmistakable. Both Ferrari drivers struggled with an unstable rear end throughout the race, although Charles Leclerc paid an even heavier price. The Monegasque spent much of the afternoon defending his position and ultimately lost the direct battle with his teammate.
“It’s very difficult to understand,” Charles Leclerc admitted, struggling to hide his disappointment. “I don’t think anyone really understands why we see such huge differences in performance from one weekend to the next. In Barcelona, we had one of the fastest race cars on the grid. I think these cars are simply very sensitive. If you don’t find the correct setup, you pay a huge price. And today we saw exactly that.”
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