Despite Ferrari’s recent successes, technical director Loïc Serra prefers to keep his feet on the ground: it is still too early to assess the SF-26, as the season has only reached its halfway point.
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The French engineer is discreet and little known, but that did not prevent team principal Fred Vasseur from entrusting him with the technical reins of the Scuderia.
Since his arrival in Maranello in October 2024, Serra has gradually found his footing to gain momentum in a high-pressure environment.
Only halfway through
Very determined, he takes ownership of the SF-26 project whose extensive development program since the start of the season has made it the main rival of leader Mercedes.
“A rating for this Ferrari? We can only give it at the end of the season,” he specifies when asked about a first 2026 assessment. “We are halfway through the championship and it is really too early to draw conclusions. What I am satisfied with is the dynamic within the team.”
Serra reminds that performance in Formula 1 constantly evolves at the pace of developments brought by each team: “As soon as a team introduces a significant update, it generally takes a lead. But this advantage disappears when competitors bring their own developments in turn. That is why you have to wait until the end of the championship to have a true reference point. In F1, those who do not look to the future are doomed to fail.”
Developments in line with expectations
Ferrari has already introduced two major development packages this season, in Miami and then in Barcelona, and Serra believes the results have met the team’s expectations.
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“We brought two big update packages and both worked as expected,” he emphasizes. “When we develop the car, we expect a certain performance gain. But if other teams progress at the same time, the effect can seem null from the outside.”
The engineer points out that performance must always be analyzed taking into account the progress made by competitors: “In Barcelona, we were competitive. However, in Austria, others had also made a step forward in the meantime. It is the overall progress of developments that makes the difference.”
A collective project above all
Arriving in Maranello to take charge of the technical department, Loïc Serra nevertheless refuses to consider the SF-26 as “his” car: “I do not consider this single-seater as mine. It is above all the result of the work of a great team made up of many professionals.”
He nevertheless acknowledges that it is the project to which he has devoted the most energy since joining Ferrari, the SF-26 having been developed entirely for the new technical regulations: “It is a completely new car. We started from a blank sheet, which is very different from a simple evolution of an existing concept.”
Despite the progress made, Serra believes Ferrari can never be satisfied with its current level: “You can never be completely satisfied. You always have to strive to go further and push the limits.”
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