Ferrari may have brought their second engine upgrade of the season, but team boss Fred Vasseur has honestly admitted that the Scuderia is still unable to match Mercedes' engine strength. That admission came after a disappointing weekend at Monza, where Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified only fourth and fifth, and Leclerc failed to finish after colliding with his teammate at the first corner.
Under the new 2026 Formula 1 regulations, Ferrari did receive two engine upgrades through the ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrades Opportunities) system, just like Audi and Honda. Meanwhile, Mercedes, which is considered to have the most powerful engine, was only given one upgrade opportunity per year. However, the reality on track shows that Ferrari is still losing about 5.6 km/h in top speed compared to the Mercedes engine, as seen in the data from the Haas car powered by Ferrari.
Vasseur himself is not surprised by this situation. He even joked after the Monza race, "At least I was right about one thing," referring to his earlier statement that the ADUO upgrade would not change much. According to him, despite the improvement, the gap to Mercedes is still too large to be closed in a single season.
When asked whether the issue lies in energy deployment strategy, Vasseur firmly denied it. "Honestly, it's not about deployment. Our deployment was okay-ish. At the end, we are missing pure power," he said. He explained that if a team lacks power, they could try to compensate by deploying more energy in one area, but that would only hurt them elsewhere, creating a vicious cycle when fighting on track.
Vasseur also emphasized that this power deficit is not just about the absolute number, but also how it impacts lap time. "If you are missing X in Zandvoort, you lose two or three tenths. But if you are missing just a bit at Monza, the delta with Mercedes can be twice as big," he explained. This shows that low-downforce circuits like Monza will amplify engine weaknesses.
On whether there are design flaws in the engine, Vasseur mentioned that the engine development process is very long and complex, especially with the power unit cost cap. "The lead time for parts is long, and we have to keep spending under control," he said. This is a challenge for Ferrari to catch up in the remaining races of this season.
With this honest admission from Vasseur, it seems Ferrari must accept their fate for the 2026 season. Their focus will likely shift to long-term development, while still trying to maximize results at each Grand Prix. Scuderia fans certainly hope that the massive investments made by the Italian manufacturer will pay off in the coming years.
Baca Juga
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