Ferrari is making progress with its 2026 engine, but Frédéric Vasseur warns: a few extra horsepower will not be enough to erase Mercedes’ advantage.
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Ferrari no longer hides one of the main weaknesses that penalize its 2026 season. Despite the progress made since the start of the championship and the recent introduction of an upgrade to its power unit, the Scuderia continues to suffer against Mercedes in terms of top speed.
Lewis Hamilton had again emphasized this problem during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Frédéric Vasseur acknowledges that Ferrari must continue its development, but warns that closing such a power unit deficit is a much longer and more complex process than improving the aerodynamic performance of a single-seater.
Ferrari faces a much more complex development
On the chassis, a team can design a new part, produce it and introduce it relatively quickly if the data obtained in the wind tunnel and simulation are convincing enough. The schedule is totally different when it comes to modifying a power unit.
“The process concerning the engine is extremely long. With the chassis, you can bring an upgrade very quickly and immediately regain more performance.”
For the engine, Ferrari must take into account the manufacturing times of the different components, but also the financial restrictions imposed on engine manufacturers. An upgrade does not simply consist of designing a new part and installing it on the car at the next Grand Prix.
“For the engine, the process is much longer because the production times of parts are significant and the budget cap does not make things easier. You have to produce the engines needed for the entire season.”
Vasseur also points out that a new development phase can force the manufacturer to produce a new complete batch of components.
“And if you want to start developing a new upgrade, you have to produce a new batch of engines.”
The ADUO will not be enough to close the gap
To try to bring the performances of the different engine manufacturers closer, the FIA introduced this season the ADUO system, which grants additional development and improvement opportunities to manufacturers who are behind.
Ferrari has already benefited from this mechanism to upgrade its engine. A new specification was notably introduced at Monza, even though the unit used by Charles Leclerc then suffered a huge impact during his accident at the Parabolica.
But Vasseur tempers expectations around these additional development opportunities. Ferrari does not think it can erase its deficit with only one or two steps.
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“We do not expect to close our gap with ADUO 1 or ADUO 2. We progress in small steps.”
A few extra horsepower can still shake up the grid
Even if each upgrade remains relatively limited, the extremely small gaps between teams make every gain precious. A few extra horsepower can represent only a few hundredths of a second per lap, but be enough to gain several positions on a particularly tight grid.
“When you make a small progress with the engine, you have to keep in mind that the gaps behind us were counted in hundredths of a second.”
Ferrari therefore does not neglect any gain, even if it does not immediately allow them to catch up with Mercedes.
“In terms of position, even if you only gain a few horsepower, it can represent a nice progression on the grid.”
This situation is particularly important in qualifying, an area in which Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari still needs to improve. The Monegasque recently pointed out that energy deployment penalizes the Scuderia more on Saturday than during the long stints on Sunday.
Ferrari mainly targets its new 2027 engine
The real opportunity to significantly reduce the gap could finally come next season. Ferrari is already preparing a new version of its power unit for 2027, with the goal of correcting the weaknesses identified since the entry into force of the new regulations.
“We will have a new engine next year. Obviously, our goal is to close our gap as quickly as possible.”
Until then, Ferrari will therefore continue to exploit the development opportunities offered by the ADUO while knowing that they will probably not be a miracle solution. Each improvement can gain a few precious hundredths and several places on the grid, but Vasseur does not hide that fully catching up to the reference level will require much deeper work.
For the Scuderia, the challenge is thus twofold: to reduce as much as possible its deficit during the end of the 2026 season while devoting enough resources to the 2027 engine, the one on which Ferrari truly counts to get back on par with its rivals.
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