Even during pre-season, Ferrari are constantly burdened by the pressure of great expectations. Heading into an era-defining 2026, the Italian squad find themselves under immense scrutiny.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, despite being at different stages of their careers, are eager for a title-winning machine. If Ferrari the SF-26 fails to deliver, it will be difficult for the Scuderia to keep their superstar line-up.
In this context, Ferrari are satisfied with how smoothly their Barcelona shakedown went – although a significant batch of necessary upgrades are pending approval.
Smooth Barcelona shakedown, crucial weeks ahead
Although Ferrari typically dominate headlines over the winter, Mercedes became the big talking point from the Barcelona shakedown.
The Silver Arrows completed more laps than anyone else in Catalunya, with the W17 going through three days of running almost faultlessly. Mercedes also enjoyed bulletproof reliability in their Silverstone debut, where the W17 immediately did a full race distance.
In combination with rumours about their power unit, Toto Wolff’s team find themselves as early favourites in the minds of many.
Of course, this does not mean Ferrari are being overlooked. Lewis Hamilton ended this week’s Barcelona running with the fastest time of anyone, setting a 1:16.348 on the soft tyre.
The SF-26 also managed well over 400 laps, facing hardly any reliability hiccups in the process. This is particularly relevant for the Ferrari engine, considering some of the concerns about reliability circulating in pre-season.
Ferrari have taken some relatively unorthodox solutions with their power unit, including the use of a steel alloy. Although nothing can be confirmed at this stage, the Scuderia are pleased to have avoided any major obstacles.
Other Ferrari-powered teams, most notably Haas, also experienced very strong durability. With the US team accumulating more laps than most teams in Barcelona, Fred Vasseur’s team have plenty of data to get their teeth into.
However, the reason why Ferrari’s rock solid mileage is so relevant is because of their pre-season approach.
A series of significant modifications are scheduled for the SF-26, which could have a transformative effect on their 2026 season… (cont. on next page).
