Ferrari has ruled out switching its development focus to 2027, despite its fading Formula 1 title hopes. Team principal Fred Vasseur insisted that development of the SF-26 will continue, with 80% of the work carrying over to next year's project.
The decision comes after Lewis Hamilton retired from the Spanish Grand Prix, leaving him 101 points behind championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes driver secured his eighth win in 14 races, strengthening his bid to become F1's youngest-ever champion at 20.
In the constructors' standings, Ferrari trails Mercedes by 145 points with nine races remaining. Nevertheless, Vasseur refuses to concede. “We are not in the situation of 12 months ago,” he said. “What we develop now, 80% will be carried over. We will continue to work, perhaps on different aspects.”
Vasseur stressed the need to improve qualifying performance. “We need to improve that, because race pace is there. If I have to focus on one thing, it's the evolution of pace in qualifying, not just the pace itself. The potential is there, we just have to adapt everything further.”
With his cautious approach, Vasseur remains committed to taking it race by race. “Two or three weeks ago I told you I would take it race by race. I haven't changed,” he insisted.
Ferrari now stands at a crossroads: continue developing the SF-26 to chase Mercedes, or switch to the 2027 project. But with Vasseur's statement, it's clear they still believe in the current car's potential while laying the groundwork for the future.
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