Ferrari successfully completed their first steps with the SF-26 as their private circuit in Fiorano on Friday, with thousands of enthusiastic Tifosi in attendance. Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were in positive spirits as they got to grips with their new challenger.
At a time when Williams are missing the first week of testing in Barcelona, Ferrari fans can breathe a sigh of relief that the Maranello squad is on schedule.
Beyond this, there are positive indications about the Italian outfit’s progress on their 2026 package. Vasseur’s team are currently refining a comprehensive and thorough testing plan, thanks to an efficient winter of work.
Ferrari on time with 2026 development schedule
The last few days have seen more information emerging about this year’s 2026 challengers. With teams participating in their first filming days and shakedowns of the year, a clearer image is forming about what this season will look like.
Ferrari, much like Mercedes in their Silverstone shakedown, showed off some advanced aerodynamic specifications at the SF-26’s debut.
Crucially, the Italian outfit have a wide range of components and ideas in the pipeline to analyse. Next week’s Barcelona test will see two different versions of the SF-26 on circuit, allowing engineers to conduct comparative data analysis and better understand their next steps.
However, even before looking at these finer details, there is good news about Ferrari’s 2026 package. As reported by it.motorsport.com, the SF-26 is only two kilograms heavier than the minimum 768kg weight.
When the 2026 begins, few teams are expected to be at F1’s minimum weight. The majority of cars will be over 10 kilograms heavier than the regulatory minimum, an excess which is enough to lose several tenths per lap.
Ferrari successfully getting the SF-26 to only a few kilograms over the 768kg is an impressive achievement.
Although aerodynamics has a bigger influence on lap-time than weight, Fred Vasseur’s squad are putting themselves in a good starting position by having a relatively light car. It means that Ferrari can immediately focus on extracting more performance without having to simultaneously shed excess weight to get closer to the 768kg minimum.
More generally, there are notable similarities with some of the technical solutions on the Ferrari SF-26 and Mercedes W17. (cont. on next page)