Ferrari heads into Formula 1’s first race at Madring hoping the characteristics of the new Madrid circuit can help the SF-26 recover from a deeply disappointing Italian Grand Prix. After technical and race-management difficulties emerged at Monza, the Spanish venue offers a very different challenge that could prove considerably more favourable to the Maranello car.
Ferrari left Monza with only one car reaching the chequered flag, as Lewis Hamilton finished sixth while Charles Leclerc retired. Although the performance gap between the different power units had already been highlighted before the weekend, at least a podium appeared achievable with better race management, something that was missing from the opening metres of the Italian Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s Monza setback exposed more than one weakness
Ferrari arrived at Monza knowing that, on paper, the circuit was unlikely to play to the SF-26’s strengths. Even so, the team introduced several developments, most notably an updated power unit featuring the second ADUO token after the first had been used in Austria. The latest Ferrari ADUO2 engine analysis highlighted just how important power delivery and energy deployment became over the Italian weekend.
Despite the final result, the SF-26 set-up and the various updates worked as intended and helped Ferrari extract additional horsepower from the car. The improvement, however, was clearly not large enough to eliminate the deficit to the leading teams.
That became evident during the race, when the Mercedes-powered cars gradually recovered ground on Lewis Hamilton. The difference was particularly noticeable in the third sector, where the available battery charge from Ferrari’s V6 was significantly lower than that of its rivals. The wider combination of energy deficit, strategy and execution problems at Monza ultimately prevented Ferrari from converting its potential into a stronger result.
Another decisive moment came at Turn 1, where Lewis Hamilton attempted to pass Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver defended firmly, forcing his team-mate towards the outside and causing the Briton to lose several positions.
Charles Leclerc’s own race was later ruined by a crash while attempting to defend from Oscar Piastri. Ferrari’s battery had been completely depleted on the preceding straight, leaving the Monegasque driver in a particularly difficult position as he tried to keep the McLaren behind.
Why the Ferrari SF-26 could be better suited to Madring
Madring presents a completely different challenge from Monza. The new Spanish circuit features several fast corners alongside slower sections and a number of straights, a combination that should be more favourable to the SF-26 than the extreme low-downforce demands Ferrari faced in Italy.
Formula 1 is also racing at Madring for the first time, meaning the newly laid asphalt will represent another major variable. Track evolution is expected to be significant as more cars circulate and rubber is gradually deposited onto the racing surface throughout the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
Tyres are set to become another important element. Based on Pirelli’s measurements, the Madrid Grand Prix is expected to provide a demanding test for the tyres, with temperatures and the nature of the circuit contributing to degradation. For the inaugural event, Pirelli has selected its harder C2, C3 and C4 compounds. The specific tyre challenges presented by Madring will therefore be one of the key areas teams must understand during the opening sessions.
Taken together, those characteristics provide Ferrari with reasons to hope for a more competitive weekend. Since the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Scuderia has repeatedly arrived at races with realistic hopes of securing at least a podium, although those opportunities have not ultimately been converted into results.
Ferrari has valuable Madring experience before the weekend begins
Ferrari also possesses more direct knowledge of the new Madrid circuit than its rivals. A couple of months ago, the Italian team completed a filming day at Madring, allowing it to run numerous laps and collect valuable information that can contribute to set-up preparation and the wider planning of the Grand Prix weekend.
That previous running gives the Scuderia a useful starting point as Formula 1 arrives at an entirely new venue. Ferrari therefore starts the Madrid weekend with track experience its rivals do not have, although exploiting that knowledge effectively will still depend on how well the team executes each session.
Ferrari must avoid repeating its recent execution mistakes
The central problem for Ferrari has not necessarily been finding and building the right car set-up. Instead, execution across qualifying and the race has repeatedly proved costly.
One reason recent weekends have failed to develop as expected has been Ferrari’s difficulty in improving its management of the single qualifying lap. Its rivals have often been more effective at progressing from Friday to Saturday and making the necessary step in the right direction when outright performance matters most.
The other area concerns race and strategy management: the decisions required to move both drivers closer to the front. Since the Hungaroring, Ferrari has struggled to manage Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc simultaneously while also maximising opportunities created by Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car periods.
Instead, the Maranello team has at times tried to produce exceptional results through pace and tyre management, including during the most recent race weekend. Madring may therefore offer Ferrari a more suitable technical platform, but converting that potential will require a cleaner weekend from both an operational and strategic perspective.
McLaren and Mercedes remain Ferrari’s main benchmarks
Formula 1’s first visit to Madring could consequently produce a Ferrari performance very different from the one seen at Monza, with greater reason for optimism surrounding the SF-26. The new circuit’s characteristics and Ferrari’s previous track experience provide potentially favourable ingredients, but they still have to be translated into performance when competitive running begins.
As has regularly been the case, McLaren and Mercedes are expected to represent Ferrari’s principal opposition. McLaren in particular could return to the forefront thanks to the effectiveness of its chassis and its ability to generate high levels of downforce. For Ferrari, Madrid will therefore be as much a test of execution as it is an opportunity to discover whether the SF-26 can finally convert encouraging potential into the result the team has been chasing.
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