Ferrari heads to Monza for what could become one of the most important technical tests of the 2026 Formula 1 championship. The Italian Grand Prix’s unusual low-downforce demands will expose the strengths and weaknesses of the leading cars, while the expected arrival of Ferrari’s ADUO 2 power unit could add another decisive variable to the battle with Mercedes and McLaren.
McLaren’s victory last week forcefully brought the Woking team into the fight for wins, a group previously formed only by Mercedes and Ferrari. The 2026 F1 championship is therefore developing in the way many had anticipated since the winter: continuous upgrades have gradually shifted the momentum towards Mercedes’ rivals, leaving the German team increasingly focused on limiting the damage.
Monza could now represent a major technical turning point. If McLaren confirms its recent strength at the Italian circuit as well, it would provide further evidence that its substantial upgrade package works effectively across a broad range of conditions. That makes the Italian Grand Prix particularly revealing, with the 2026 Formula 1 season entering an increasingly important phase.
Will Ferrari’s ADUO 2 upgrade be enough at Monza?
After the Hungary-Zandvoort double-header, characterised by high-downforce circuits, Formula 1 now returns to a track where low drag is fundamental. The teams are therefore likely to revisit the low-resistance configurations previously seen between Silverstone and Spa.
Mercedes revised its front wing, rear wing and rear corner in July, with the rear-wing changes including retaining only a single upper element and modifying the flap chord, all with the aim of reducing aerodynamic drag. Ferrari pursued similar work, culminating in a comparison between different packages during Friday practice at the Austrian Grand Prix.
However, simply returning to those configurations should not be taken for granted. The new Ferrari floor introduced at Zandvoort represented an important step in improving the balance of the aerodynamic load generated by the car. Although the Dutch circuit was not among the most difficult tracks for the SF-26, Ferrari nevertheless demonstrated excellent race pace, as was also evident in the analysis of Ferrari’s Dutch Grand Prix performance and tyre strategy.
The final decision will therefore rest with Ferrari’s technical department, particularly given the imminent introduction of the power unit featuring the second ADUO update. At Silverstone and Spa, Ferrari surprisingly managed to stay close to Mercedes from an energy-management perspective, despite continuing to display its familiar weaknesses.
The low-downforce configuration certainly helped, as did a chassis that at the time represented the clear benchmark. Ferrari’s gains and losses were easy to identify. The SF-26 remained relatively ineffective on corner exit, an area where Mercedes generated much of its advantage before carrying that benefit onto the straights.
Ferrari’s new floor could change the Monza equation
With the upgrade introduced at Zandvoort, Ferrari should have made progress in this area. The definitive configuration choices, however, may not become clear until Thursday ahead of the Italian Grand Prix weekend. Monza remains a circuit unlike almost any other on the calendar, and its layout will inevitably magnify energy-related weaknesses.
The situation is more complex than it may initially appear. If the new Ferrari power unit makes its debut as expected, both the engineers and the drivers will enter a period in which they must understand how to extract the maximum from the updated package. Ferrari is already preparing to introduce the evolved ADUO 2 power unit at Monza, making the home weekend particularly significant from a technical perspective.
It is important to remember that the entire system operates in synergy. Ferrari designed its power unit to work within a higher-than-average temperature range, allowing the team to minimise the aerodynamic impact of the car’s cooling surfaces, both internally and externally.
This philosophy is also fundamental to the FTM element, which exploits high-pressure gases leaving the exhaust to maximise the effectiveness of the rear wing. Consequently, the power unit cannot be assessed purely through its headline horsepower figure because its integration with the rest of the SF-26 package is equally important.
ADUO 2 will require changes to Ferrari’s energy management
Having more energy available to deploy through different parts of the lap will also force Ferrari’s engineers to revise the energy-map configuration. At the same time, the robustness of the software will need attention. It has caused problems on too many occasions for a championship already beyond its halfway point, particularly during qualifying sessions where every minute of track time can prove decisive.
For that reason, the most important factor will not necessarily be the raw number of horsepower delivered by the upgrade, which will certainly involve the turbo-compressor system. What matters more will be how that additional performance is delivered and how effectively it works in synergy with the chassis.
That distinction is particularly relevant at Monza. A power increase is valuable on Formula 1’s fastest circuit, but Ferrari will also need to deploy that energy efficiently while maintaining the aerodynamic and mechanical qualities that have allowed the SF-26 to become more competitive. The combination rather than any single component could determine whether the upgrade materially changes Ferrari’s position relative to Mercedes.
Is the F1 budget cap really only a problem for Mercedes?
Mercedes deputy technical director Simone Resta discussed the budget-cap issue with FormulaPassion, explaining how financial restrictions are increasingly influencing engineering decisions.
“It is certainly a major challenge and, from a certain point of view, perhaps even too much,” Simone Resta said. “Engineers now tend to talk too much only about costs, and that is something that limits the ability to develop the car and introduce innovations.”
The leading teams have clearly adopted different development strategies. Ferrari chose to introduce a substantial package during testing before waiting until Miami and Barcelona to bring further developments. McLaren, meanwhile, found itself having to correct an aerodynamic concept that had proved unsuccessful, resulting in major upgrades arriving around the middle of the season.
Red Bull followed a broadly similar path by overturning its concept early in the year. Mercedes instead concentrated more of its work over the winter in an attempt to put a solid project on track from the beginning. Apart from its pre-season test developments, the team’s first and only major upgrade package dates back to Canada.
Taking all the individual updates introduced so far into consideration, McLaren and Red Bull have set the benchmark for development volume, followed by Ferrari, with Mercedes considerably further behind. With teams also receiving an additional $3 million this year and next year, as Stella reported, there should not be any genuine problems in this respect.
Mercedes’ next package is expected for Malaysia. Until then, the objective will effectively be to “limit the damage”. The contrasting development approaches have become increasingly relevant as Mercedes’ rivals continue to evolve their cars, including McLaren’s plans for further upgrades ahead of Baku.
Why Mercedes should remain formidable before its next upgrade
The phrase “limit the damage” does not entirely reflect Mercedes’ current situation, however. At Zandvoort, a circuit that was not power-limited, its two drivers still secured a double podium despite the team’s shortcomings in outright pace.
Before Malaysia, Formula 1 will visit Monza, Madring and Baku, all circuits where the advantage of the Brackley power unit should remain a significant factor. A repeat of the Dutch situation appears unlikely. At Zandvoort, the W17’s chassis weaknesses forced Mercedes’ engineers to stiffen the car, which ultimately made it even less effective in terms of race pace.
The situation illustrates why Mercedes’ upgrade strategy should not be judged purely by the number of new components introduced. The W17 retains important underlying strengths, particularly at circuits where power-unit performance can have a greater influence on the competitive order.
Monza could expose McLaren’s remaining weaknesses
Looking towards Monza, one of the favourites will start from the back of the grid with at least one car. Ferrari should also have collected useful data during its filming day last April, although that certainly cannot be regarded as a genuine advantage over its rivals.
The possible debut of Ferrari’s upgraded power unit will therefore be one of the most important technical developments to watch and could potentially have a major influence on the championship. The combination of Monza’s long straights, heavy braking zones and low-drag requirements makes it an especially demanding environment in which to evaluate an updated power-unit package.
McLaren will also require close attention because the Italian circuit should bring some of its weaknesses back into focus. Excessive aerodynamic drag and the team’s different exploitation of the Mercedes power unit could make it difficult to match the W17s along Monza’s straights, while the chicanes will put the car under considerable pressure through the slower sections.
Lando Norris has described a car that finally appears to give him what he wants during corner entry and through the corner itself, meaning McLaren certainly cannot be discounted. Its recent resurgence has already transformed the competitive picture, and Monza will provide an important indication of whether that progress can carry across to a fundamentally different circuit.
Ferrari’s Monza test could prove crucial to the championship
Red Bull, meanwhile, will be able to exploit the strength of its own power unit, which remains highly competitive in terms of outright power delivery. The result should be a fascinating weekend from a technical perspective, with several different car philosophies being tested under conditions unlike those seen at Zandvoort.
For Ferrari in particular, the Italian Grand Prix could therefore become a defining technical test. The SF-26’s new floor, its low-downforce configuration, energy management, software reliability and the potential ADUO 2 debut will all have to work together if the Scuderia is to maximise its performance at its home race.
Monza could consequently prove fundamental to the championship ambitions of Mercedes’ rivals. Ferrari will arrive with considerable attention focused on the possible power-unit upgrade, while McLaren must demonstrate that its latest progress remains effective when straight-line efficiency becomes far more important.
There is also speculation that an upgraded power unit could make its debut in Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes. The intriguing question is whether this could be the ADUO update granted to Mercedes’ Brixworth power-unit department. With so many technical variables converging on the same weekend, Monza has the potential to provide one of the clearest indications yet of how the 2026 Formula 1 development battle is evolving.
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