Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc insists the team made the correct choice to prioritise their 2026 development. The Monegasque believes it was a “no-brainer” after the difficulties Ferrari encountered to start the season.
In the weeks prior to the first round of 2025, Ferrari were seen as leading contenders to challenge McLaren.
This meant their poor performance was a bitter pill to swallow – but Leclerc insists it offered clarity for when to focus on the new regulations.
Leclerc explains Ferrari 2026 thought-process
Balance is an essential aspect of Formula 1, and is something teams constantly revise and adjust to. This is more true in terms of development than anything else. After all, technical personnel and aerodynamic resources can only be in so many places at once.
In the middle of a regulation cycle, the decision is difficult enough. Teams are often forced to choose if their current battle in the Championship is worth prioritising over more long-term projects for the following season.
With updates constantly emerging from the pipeline, decisions about resource allocation cannot be undone.
During the final year of a regulation cycle, making the switch from one set of cars to another is even more critical. For Ferrari, almost two decades since their last title, there is so much at stake in 2026.
Perhaps because of this, abandoning the 2025 car was an easier choice than it would have been ordinarily.
Charles Leclerc discussed this topic at the final drivers press conference of the year in Abu Dhabi:
“We were at a technical disadvantage from the first race, so it’s not like it changed massively our approach to the season.
“And we saw it relatively quickly that we wouldn’t be fighting for the world title. Because McLaren was too strong, Red Bull was obviously starting to make big gains. It wasn’t very much of a point to put all our resources into trying to take the third or second place…
“I would have much preferred pushing the development the whole year to try and clinch that world title, 100%. But if you are in the position that we were in at the beginning of the year, I think it was kind of a no-brainer. So, I don’t regret it.”
Other teams a few steps ahead?
To some extent, it is true that Ferrari abandoned the SF-25 to prioritise 2026. Potential corrections to this year’s car were shelved to put more energy into next season.
At the same time, it would be inaccurate to overstate how early the Scuderia made the switch. During the first few months of the season, team principal Fred Vasseur was adamant about the SF-25’s potential.
His post-race comments were remarkably consistent, with the Frenchman suggesting that extracting more performance from the car was possible.
Moreover, in contrast to a team like Williams, Ferrari did bring upgrades during the season. Some of these were considerable, including a new floor brought to Austria and new suspension in Spa.
Whilst further developments would have arrived were it not for 2026, this does not mean Ferrari immediately gave up on the SF-25.
Other teams, particularly those in the midfield, were much more aggressive in switching to the new regulations. Though not the last team to make this adjustment, Vasseur’s personnel certainly were not the first.
With limited wind tunnel time and a new engine to deliver, the Maranello squad have little margin for error as their work continues over the winter.
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Main photo: Scuderia Ferrari Media Gallery