Ferrari has to deal with its lack of top speed, despite a chassis considered among the best on the grid.
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Ferrari continues to navigate between two contrasting realities this season. On one hand, the Scuderia has a car particularly effective in corners. On the other, it clearly suffers on the straights against rivals like Mercedes or Red Bull, a deficit that is starting to weigh in the fight at the top.
This imbalance has been pointed out several times by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, both eager to see an improvement in the engine to close this performance gap on the long straights.
According to several observers, Ferrari would have deliberately prioritized a very efficient chassis at the expense of pure power. A philosophy that would explain the excellent cornering performance, but also the recurring difficulties in defending or attacking on the straights.
This approach nevertheless allows the SF-26 to shine in certain phases of the race, notably on corner exit and during the first laps, where grip plays a crucial role.
A strategy that divides the paddock
Jamie Chadwick believes this situation is the result of a deliberate technical choice and that it is unrealistic to want to excel everywhere simultaneously.
“You can’t have it all” she explained to Sky Sports F1, reminding that every aerodynamic concept necessarily involves compromises.
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According to her, Ferrari has clearly bet on a balanced and high-performing car in corners, even if it means accepting a deficit in top speed.
At the Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton nevertheless managed to maximize the potential of his car, securing a second place which represents his best result since his arrival at Maranello.
An encouraging result, but which does not completely mask the current limits of the Ferrari against the best cars on the grid.
The engine in the sights for the future
Internally, the two Ferrari drivers continue to push for more engine performance, hoping that upcoming technical developments can reduce the gap with the leaders.
Future regulatory development opportunities could offer a window for improvement, but the Scuderia’s technical management will have to decide between maintaining its strong chassis DNA or rebalancing its car to become competitive on all fronts again.
In such a tight championship, this compromise could well define the rest of the red season.
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