Ferrari are always under the microscope, and this year’s pre-season has been no exception. Expectations surrounding the Italian outfit are especially high given the complexity and demands of these 2026 regulations.
With Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc behind the wheel, team principal Fred Vasseur identifies the importance of performing well over the coming 24 rounds.
During pre-season, Ferrari were notable for their exceptional reliability. No other engine manufacturer, including Mercedes, managed as few interruptions as the Maranello outfit in testing.
Consistent with this positive development, Fred Vasseur has explained Ferrari’s conclusions from pre-season. As ever, the Frenchman maintains a pragmatic outlook.
Ferrari satisfied with first outings of 2026
It is often said that you cannot win a race in the first corner, but you can certainly lose it. This is the kind approach that Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur has maintained when discussing the 2026 season.
The 57-year-old insists that regardless of how his team begins the year, it will not define their entire campaign.
Because of this, whether the SF-26 is at the front or further behind in Australia, the message at Maranello is clear – stay calm and focus on consistently upgrading the car.
Speaking of upgrades, Ferrari have a series of new components planned for the first part of the season. These updates, designed and entered into production months ago, have been given the green light after a successful test.
During the Scuderia’s time in Bahrain, the data from the circuit was consistent with the factory:
“I’m too old to have high expectations from winter testing,” Vasseur told it.motorsport.
“There’s always the feeling that bad news could come when you take the first steps.
“I’m talking about reliability, correlation, and many other technical aspects. On these fronts, I can say that things have gone well so far.
“We’ve covered more than six thousand kilometres, which is undoubtedly a positive result, as are the findings on the correlation.
“There were a few setbacks, but nothing that prevented us from completing the work program. There are still some open points regarding reliability. But I think this is the case for all teams – there’s nothing critical.
“As for performance, it’s still too early to draw any conclusions.”
The true test in Australia
Inevitably, there is no certainty about how competitive the SF-26 will be this weekend in Australia.
Every team, including Ferrari, kept something in reserve during testing. Mercedes and Red Bull were busy accusing each other of turning down their respective engines, whilst McLaren pointed to Mercedes and Ferrari as the fastest teams.
In customary fashion, pre-season saw the front-runners volunteering each other as favourites. After the first day in Bahrain, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff went so far as to suggest that Red Bull were gaining one second per lap on the straights.
Although these comments can be attributed to the usual games teams play at this time of year, these statements are not without reason.
Whilst there were many predictions that at least one of the traditional big names would struggle, the usual top four established themselves as the benchmark once again in pre-season.
It could be credibly argued that any one of Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull or McLaren have the best package so far. This is why, more so than usual, the season opener in Australia will be intriguing.
Of course, it should be noted that upgrades will be plentiful across the field this weekend. As a result, the cars that arrive in Albert Park could spring many surprises – for fans, teams and analysts alike.