In the world of Formula One, few names shine brighter – or flicker more unpredictably – than Ferrari. When it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would don red overalls in 2025, a new level of excitement began to surround the Scuderia.
By Graham Duxbury
Unfortunately, the dream pairing of Hamilton – statistically the sport’s most successful driver – and F1’s most storied team, did not lead to new dawn for Ferrari.
In Hamilton’s own words, the dream became a nightmare. The 2025 season has been the worst of Hamilton’s 18-year career in F1. It was the first year in which he failed to score a podium finish. He seems to have not gelled perfectly with the team – or at least his race engineer with whom he has had some public spats over team radio.
Ferrari has been here before. Time and again over the past 30 years, the Italian team has appeared to be on the cusp of a return to sustained dominance, only for hope to give way to heartbreak.
And while Hamilton’s move was seen as seismic, the Scuderia’s inconsistent form meant Hamilton was unable to match his teammate – Charles Leclerc – much less fight at the sharp end in search of podiums.
Could 2026, with its transformative regulations, herald a Ferrari renaissance? History teaches us to proceed with restraint. Back in 1990, Ferrari lured four-time world champion Alain Prost from McLaren. It was seen as a signal that the team was ready to reclaim its place at the top.
A year later Prost was fired after publicly criticising the team’s car as a “truck.” Ferrari didn’t win another race for four years.
The arrival of Fernando Alonso in 2010 carried a similar sense of expectation. Alonso was a two-time world champion. But despite coming agonisingly close in both 2010 and 2012, the titles never materialised. Poor strategy calls, inconsistent development and internal politics derailed yet another golden opportunity.
The Schumacher era was different. When Michael arrived in 1996, he brought with him not only elite talent but a complete support system – most notably Ross Brawn and South African Rory Byrne.
They transformed the team’s culture from the inside out. Even then, it took five years to win a title. But the payoff was historic: five consecutive championships and total domination.
But that success wasn’t easy. It required deep structural change and a lot of patience; qualities Ferrari has often lacked. Will anything change in 2026?
For Hamilton, ground effect cars have never suited his driving style for whatever reason. He has expressed hope that the 2026 cars, which rely less on underbody aerodynamics, will offer a reset.
Leclerc, who has been equally frustrated at Ferrari’s winless season, believes the 2026 radical rule changes will present an opportunity. The year will be Ferrari’s “now or never opportunity”, he says.
For the F1 2026 season, Ferrari began development of its new car under the Project 678 banner prior to the SF-26 identity which the new challenger now carries.
It is said to feature a number of innovations including a new engine design engineered by technical director Enrico Gualtieri. For example, it incorporates steel cylinder heads.
A report in the Italian press has claimed that Ferrari achieved something of a breakthrough in this area. Despite being heavier than traditional aluminium heads, the steel versions are expected to provide benefits such as more efficient combustion – set to be an important factor in 2026.
With the minimum weight of the power unit increasing from 120 to 150 kilograms, it is said that engineers no longer deem maximum lightweight construction to be a crucial consideration in 2026 F1 engine design.
The chassis – developed under the watch of new chassis technical director Loic Serra – features pushrod suspension on front and rear axles, a layout absent from Ferrari’s rear since 2010. This is said to prioritise packaging in order to optimise kinematics, mechanical grip and aerodynamic flow.
Ferrari is also said to be working on a new high-tech battery, thought to be lighter and more compact than previous versions. Reports suggest it will represent a “significant advancement” in terms of balancing aggressive electric boosts with recovery efficiency.
It seems certain that 2026 will reward vision and adaptability over legacy and momentum. If this is correct, could Ferrari be entering a more aggressive and competitive phase of its long and storied history?