Ferrari arrives at Spa-Francorchamps riding a wave of confidence after winning two of the last three Formula 1 Grands Prix. Victories for Lewis Hamilton in Barcelona and Charles Leclerc at Silverstone have transformed the mood inside Maranello, placing the Scuderia firmly back in the conversation as a genuine contender for the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.
Officially, however, Ferrari continues to downplay any discussion about the title. Team principal Fred Vasseur has repeatedly insisted that the focus should remain on extracting the maximum from every race weekend rather than looking too far ahead. Yet with every strong performance, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the growing belief surrounding the Italian team.
Ferrari’s championship momentum continues to build
The Belgian Grand Prix represents another major opportunity for Ferrari to strengthen its position in both championship battles. Lewis Hamilton arrives at Spa just 32 points behind Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Drivers’ standings, while Charles Leclerc significantly reduced his own deficit thanks to his impressive Silverstone victory.
After several months of remarkable progress with the SF-26, the Italian side has evolved from being viewed as an occasional race winner into a team that many now consider capable of sustaining a genuine title challenge over the remainder of the season.
Naturally, that has led to increasing speculation about whether Ferrari can finally end one of the longest championship droughts in its illustrious Formula 1 history. The Scuderia has not celebrated a Drivers’ Championship since Kimi Räikkönen secured the title in 2007, and every victory naturally reignites hopes that the wait could finally come to an end.
Fred Vasseur wants the focus elsewhere
Despite Ferrari’s resurgence, Fred Vasseur has consistently tried to shift attention away from the championship standings. Following Charles Leclerc’s victory at Silverstone, the Ferrari team principal once again dismissed questions about the title race, making it clear that he preferred to avoid discussing long-term objectives while so much of the season still remains.
Several reports have even suggested that discussions about the championship have become something of a taboo subject inside Maranello, with Vasseur determined to prevent unnecessary pressure from distracting the team from its race-by-race approach.
The philosophy is straightforward. Rather than allowing external expectations to grow after every successful weekend, Maranello wants its engineers and drivers to remain fully concentrated on continuous development, execution and maximizing every opportunity as it comes.
Giuseppe Allievi believes everyone at Ferrari is thinking about the title
Not everyone, however, is convinced by Ferrari’s public stance.
Veteran Italian journalist Giuseppe “Pino” Allievi believes it is unrealistic to suggest that the Drivers’ Championship is not constantly on everyone’s mind inside Maranello. According to his analysis, Ferrari was built to compete for world titles, not simply to collect Grand Prix victories.
Allievi argued that Ferrari’s entire project under Fred Vasseur has been designed around returning the Drivers’ Championship to Maranello after nearly two decades without success. In his view, the idea that nobody inside the team is thinking about the championship simply does not reflect reality.
The respected journalist suggested that every department within the Italian side is naturally aware of what is at stake. From senior management to engineers, mechanics, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc themselves, everyone understands that this season represents one of the team’s best opportunities in years to fight for Formula 1’s biggest prize.
He also questioned Ferrari’s tendency to dismiss media discussions about the championship, arguing that competing for the Drivers’ Championship has always been the ultimate objective for a team with Ferrari’s history and ambitions.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are benefiting from Ferrari’s new philosophy
Regardless of the public messaging, one thing has become increasingly obvious throughout 2026: Fred Vasseur has fundamentally changed Ferrari’s working culture.
When the Frenchman took charge of the Scuderia in 2022, he openly admitted he had been surprised by how conservative Maranello’s engineering approach had become. Rather than accepting unnecessary caution, Vasseur encouraged the technical department to become more aggressive, innovate more freely and push the boundaries whenever possible.
That cultural shift is now producing tangible results.
The SF-26 has introduced several ambitious technical concepts during the season, including the much-discussed Macarena rear wing and the innovative Flick Tail Mode (FTM) blown exhaust flap. These developments demonstrate Ferrari’s willingness to pursue creative engineering solutions instead of simply following established trends.
The aggressive development programme has also helped Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc consistently fight at the front of the grid, allowing Ferrari to close the gap to Mercedes in both outright pace and championship points.
Why Ferrari keeps playing down its title ambitions
There may also be a strategic reason behind Fred Vasseur’s reluctance to embrace championship talk publicly.
By insisting that Ferrari remains focused only on individual race weekends, the team principal may simply be protecting his drivers and engineers from additional external pressure. Lowering expectations allows Ferrari to continue operating without the burden that inevitably comes with being labelled championship favourites.
At the same time, keeping attention focused on Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell could work to Ferrari’s advantage as the season enters its decisive phase.
Whether or not Fred Vasseur openly admits it, the reality is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Ferrari has momentum, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have rediscovered winning form, and the SF-26 has developed into one of the strongest cars on the grid.
There is still a long way to go before the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship is decided, but if Ferrari continues to perform at the level it has shown in Barcelona and Silverstone, conversations about ending the Scuderia’s long wait for another world title will only become louder with every passing race.
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