Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has urged the team to improve its Formula 1 race weekend execution as the performance gap between the leading 2026 teams continues to narrow.
After dedicating much of 2025 to preparing for the new regulations, Ferrari has produced a competitive SF-26 and continued to introduce upgrades aimed at giving Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc a chance to win a grand prix. The team currently sits second in the constructors’ championship.
However, Ferrari failed to convert its pace into podium finishes at the last two races in Hungary and the Netherlands, despite having a car capable of challenging for the top three.
Ferrari missed opportunities in Hungary and the Netherlands
Ferrari appeared strong during practice at the twisty Hungaroring, a circuit expected to suit the team’s strengths, and Hamilton narrowly missed pole position. A poor start, a speeding penalty and slow pit stops subsequently prevented both drivers from finishing on the podium.
At Zandvoort, Ferrari believed it lost performance during qualifying after its tyres fell outside the ideal operating window. The team also missed further opportunities during the race to secure a podium on a circuit that suited the SF-26 and helped mask weaknesses in Ferrari’s power unit.
Photo by: Eric Le Galliot
Speaking exclusively to Motorsport.com, Vasseur acknowledged that Ferrari cannot afford to leave points on the table if it is to close the gap to Mercedes and hold off a resurgent McLaren. He also stressed that the team has made significant progress in recent seasons.
“Honestly, I think we made a huge step in terms of execution over the last two or three years. In terms of strategy, pitstops, we are doing well,” Vasseur said. “We missed opportunities mainly over the last two weekends, but I’m not sure that we missed more opportunities than McLaren or Mercedes from the beginning of the season.
“But if you want to be the champion, you can’t leave points on the table. We have to score the maximum number of points that we can.”
Ferrari focuses on execution as performance gaps shrink
Ferrari has introduced an impressive number of upgrades in recent weeks and months. Further aerodynamic components and an upgraded engine are expected for the team’s home race at Monza this weekend.
With the field continuing to converge in outright performance, Vasseur believes that maximising the car’s potential during every part of the race weekend is becoming increasingly important.
“You have two races. You have the development race; race after race, you are bringing parts to improve the potential. But then you have also to be at the limit of your potential,” he pointed out. “Sometimes you are doing well, sometimes not.
“It’s challenging this season because everything is new. Regulations, energy, tyres are different compared to last year, so it means that we have many more new questions on the table than we had last year, and it’s why we are all making more mistakes. But my job is also to minimise this number of mistakes. It doesn’t matter what the others are doing, but we have to minimise this.”
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Power unit performance remains crucial in Formula 1
Although teams have developed a better understanding of the complex 2026 power units and the regulations governing their operation, energy deployment can still have a major impact on performance.
“The power unit is the key. From one lap to the other you can still have a swing of performance,” the Frenchman cautioned. “It’s much less than what we had in China or Australia, where we were sometimes losing four, five tenths. Now we are losing one or two. But that’s four positions on the grid in Zandvoort. It means that we need to keep this [focus].
“I think it’s more linked to the fact that it’s a new area of regulations and a challenging year, but it’s one of the focus areas of the team for sure.”
Ferrari enters the Italian Grand Prix weekend 87 points behind Mercedes in the constructors’ standings. Hamilton is level on points with George Russell, with both drivers 59 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Source: www.motorsport.com
