September has not been kind to Ferrari. As FormulaUno.it reports, what started as a promising Constructors' Championship fight against Mercedes after Barcelona has completely unraveled following difficult outings at Madrid and Baku. While McLaren surged ahead with development steps introduced in Budapest, the red cars have slipped back into the role of the third or fourth quickest force on the grid since Monza.
The summer break marked a brutal turning point for the team. After securing crucial victories at Barcellona and Silverstone before the holidays, the squad from Maranello has failed to maintain that momentum. Only 40 points were salvaged across Monza and Baku, a sharp drop from the 103 points collected in the three rounds leading up to the break, effectively removing them from the title fight. Behind the media noise, the underlying issue stems from a performance deficit of over two tenths compared to the rest of the grid's development rate.
Avremo alcune cose sulla macchina e speriamo che ci aiutino a essere davanti a Red Bull e McLaren. Non penso però che sarà sufficiente per lottare con Mercedes,
Technical shortcomings have heavily restricted the SF-26. The floor introduced at Zandvoort was only partially run because wind tunnel results were unconvincing, acting more as a stepping stone than a pure performance leap. Mercedes is set to bring updates to Sepang, while McLaren has already jumped ahead with upgrades that made the MCL40 the strongest car through the corners in three of the last five weekends. Engine data shows the ADUO 2 power unit has delivered the expected horsepower gains, but it is not enough to bridge the gap. “Sappiamo perfettamente che in ogni weekend di gara partiamo con un deficit di 4 decimi, che in certi casi arriva anche a 6,” Hamilton pointed out.
Driver performance has also come under scrutiny in this difficult campaign. While nobody points fingers directly at the lineup, rivals like Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris have stepped up to shift the competitive landscape alongside a competitive Max Verstappen, while drivers like Russell and Piastri have battled difficulties under the new regulations. Leclerc has managed to stay afloat despite a step back from his usual standards, and Hamilton has recovered after struggling with ground effect characteristics, yet the team has missed that extra factor usually delivered by its drivers. “Avremo alcune cose sulla macchina e speriamo che ci aiutino a essere davanti a Red Bull e McLaren. Non penso però che sarà sufficiente per lottare con Mercedes,” Leclerc commented ahead of the Malaysian weekend.
With the final major aerodynamic update scheduled for late October, the immediate focus shifts to Sepang. Although the circuit layout may suit the SF-26 better than Baku, fighting for the very top positions remains a tall order as Ferrari fights to rebuild confidence and secure a stronger foundation for 2027.
