A dim and subdued Ferrari appeared in the Formula 1 race held in Hungary. Lewis Hamilton seems increasingly lost and struggling to find his pace, despite the apparent progress that seemed to have been made during the last two Grand Prix events. On the other hand, Charles Leclerc was absolutely outstanding on Saturday during qualifying and for a significant portion of Sunday’s race. However, he eventually had to surrender to the limitations of his SF-25, which stopped functioning optimally during the final 25 laps of the race. Although the current Formula 1 season remains long and full of opportunities, many within the paddock are already turning their attention to the 2026 season, where various theories and speculations about the next Ferrari car, particularly concerning the English driver Lewis Hamilton, are already spreading and multiplying.
Ferrari has been quietly and diligently working on a super engine for the future
The upcoming regulatory cycle for Formula 1 is already shaping up to be a major source of confusion and complexity. The FIA has continued to revise and modify the technical regulations repeatedly: by the end of July, there had already been 13 amendments and corrections because the drafting of the new rules has been riddled with inconsistencies and flaws in numerous areas. Within this chaotic regulatory environment, the team from Maranello has been trying carefully to move in the right direction, making steady and considered progress. At this point, all Formula 1 teams are working at their maximum capacity and pushing their engineering resources to the limit to prepare for the next regulatory cycle.
Of course, all this discussion is purely hypothetical and speculative since no one really knows what will happen in the 2026 Formula 1 season or how the new rules will ultimately affect the cars. Considering the fact that Ferrari has not won a World Championship for 18 seasons in a row, the general confidence towards the Prancing Horse is understandably low. Yet, despite this, something might still change for the better. Frequently, the discussion focuses almost exclusively on the new power units. This is understandable and inevitable since the power unit changes represent a huge shift in technology and performance. The change is monumental.
Nevertheless, there is also the crucial aspect of aerodynamics, which tends to receive far less attention in public discussions. After exchanging some insights with several Formula 1 engineers in the paddocks of Belgium and Hungary, we managed to clear up some doubts: just like the powertrain, the management of airflow and aerodynamic efficiency will be a decisive factor. Teams will necessarily have to explore different technical avenues and solutions. Furthermore, there is an interesting issue that cannot be overlooked or ignored.
Drivers will have to put aside pure driving talent in favor of management skills and precision. This is a rather unsettling scenario, which was revealed and hinted at by Alexander Albon after various simulator tests. Ferrari is pushing hard and at full throttle, and Frederic Vasseur remained as team principal partly for this reason: continuity and stability were needed, and now they are in place. Around the power unit, there is a lot of silence coming from Ferrari. The Maranello-based team has preferred a low-profile approach away from the spotlight, while Mercedes continues to be regarded as the favorite for success in the near future.
The Brackley factory remains an outstanding hub of innovation and engineering excellence, but the Ferrari factory in Maranello certainly has nothing to envy in this regard. The initial difficulties and setbacks experienced during the turbo-hybrid era now seem like distant memories. The Italian engine department, which is currently managed by Enrico Gualtieri, has made tremendous progress and has come a long way. This engineering pool intends to surprise everyone with truly superb and refined work on the motor side. Within this context of technical development, the discussion concerning Lewis Hamilton fits naturally.
A car built for Lewis Hamilton? That simply does not exist
The French team principal has expressed the view that the team underestimated “the Lewis situation.” On the other hand, it seems that the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion may have overestimated the work that the team had done on the 2025 car, convinced that he was arriving at Maranello to drive a car that was already ready and capable of winning. Both perspectives are completely wrong. The SF-25 has many problems and issues, and the adaptation of the English driver to the car has been as problematic as one could have imagined.
Last year, around this time, the idea that Ferrari was building a car specifically for Lewis Hamilton was widespread and popular. However, this was a conceptually incorrect and misleading thought. Yes, because in Formula 1 no team builds a car solely to satisfy one driver’s preferences. Without a doubt, the team listens to the driver and can fulfill marginal and detailed requests from whoever is behind the wheel. But the primary objective of the group of engineers and designers who build a Formula 1 car for the highest category of motorsport is very different and much broader.
This is especially true if the regulations are entirely new and include very drastic and radical innovations. The mistake of thinking that the 2026 Ferrari car — which should be called the SF-26 — could be a car tailored and customized specifically for Lewis Hamilton is a serious one. The documentation that the former Mercedes driver mentioned, and the fact that he said what he wants and especially what he does not want in the car, do not automatically lay the foundation or blueprint for the vehicle. This is a factor that needs to be clarified, because the only real objective is to build the fastest and most competitive car possible.
Lewis Hamilton like Charles Leclerc: adaptation will count
It is the drivers themselves who must adapt in order to extract the maximum performance from the mechanical device that they have at their disposal. Therefore, to think that the historic Ferrari team will forge and produce a car simply to satisfy Lewis Hamilton’s preferences and enable him to perform at his very best is “not a thing.” The Italian technical team has studied the new regulations thoroughly, trying to identify and seize the key points where they can make a difference, whether from the power unit side, the aerodynamic side, or the mechanical side. Everything else is just empty talk, and bad talk at that.
Just consider the 2024 season, when from many corners there was talk and claims that the SF-25 was designed specifically for Lewis Hamilton. Now that half of the current season has already passed, we can confidently say that such reasoning was completely wrong and very far from the absolute truth that governs a Formula 1 team’s decisions. An easy-to-drive car? Of course, who wouldn’t want that. But times have changed significantly, and the driver no longer has the central role that he once had.
The feedback provided by drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc remains obviously very important and decisive, but the real tools that guide the development path are virtual simulators and data analysis tools. These indicate the direction to pursue after careful study of the regulations. Above all, we repeat, this is especially true when the projects and technical concepts are completely new and there are no past references or blueprints. Lewis Hamilton, like Charles Leclerc, will have to give his absolute best and drive the new Ferrari car as well as he possibly can, hoping that this time the Italian technical proposal will be competitive and able to fight for victories and championships.
And you? What do you think about Ferrari’s prospects for the 2026 Formula 1 campaign? Let us know with a comment at the end of the article or on our social media channels: Facebook Group / Facebook Page / Instagram / X (former Twitter)
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