George Russell claimed his first Formula One sprint race win at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, maintaining his perfect start to the season after a closely fought contest that highlighted both Mercedes’ strengths and the evolving competitive order under the 2026 regulations.
Mercedes you mean, right?
Why on Earth would they?f1316 wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 00:29Mercedes you mean, right?
I presume they get to do reliability updates outside ADUO, right? Still, could be the two are linked? Conspiracy theory: what if having to comply with the compression ratio rules is causing this (doesn’t really line up given Montreal issue for Russell, but could be they tried to get compliance in advance?)
My only thought was to try and test out the reliability in advance (which, if so, obviously didn’t worksucof wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 01:22Why on Earth would they?f1316 wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 00:29Mercedes you mean, right?
I presume they get to do reliability updates outside ADUO, right? Still, could be the two are linked? Conspiracy theory: what if having to comply with the compression ratio rules is causing this (doesn’t really line up given Montreal issue for Russell, but could be they tried to get compliance in advance?)
But I was wondering too that why noone talked about the compression ratio check change lately, and "suddenly" Ferrari wins a race........
). In line with your observation, their big upgrade didn’t seem to produce that much performance - could it be that the impact on the engine side counteracted it?
Yea I mean Mercedes.f1316 wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 00:29Mercedes you mean, right?
I presume they get to do reliability updates outside ADUO, right? Still, could be the two are linked? Conspiracy theory: what if having to comply with the compression ratio rules is causing this (doesn’t really line up given Montreal issue for Russell, but could be they tried to get compliance in advance?)
ADUO concerns the ICE so I don't think it would have much to do with Mercedes problems since most of them have been battery/electrical.dans79 wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 03:22Imo, that's to many teams and to many instances to be a fluke/one off, and I have heard nothing about them finding a way to rectify any of the issues. Thus if it was me, I would want that fixed, before I make some kind of ADUO upgrade. I wouldn't want the potential of the ADUO upgrade making it worse.
The only concern I had with Ferrari is based on:dans79 wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 03:22Yea I mean Mercedes.f1316 wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 00:29Mercedes you mean, right?
I presume they get to do reliability updates outside ADUO, right? Still, could be the two are linked? Conspiracy theory: what if having to comply with the compression ratio rules is causing this (doesn’t really line up given Montreal issue for Russell, but could be they tried to get compliance in advance?)
I'd be shocked if they can't fix it as a reliability update. They have had several electrical related issue.
Kimi - Barcelona
George - Canada
Alex - Canada
Lando - Monaco
Alex - practice issue in Japan
Oscar - China
Lando - China
Imo, that's to many teams and to many instances to be a fluke/one off, and I have heard nothing about them finding a way to rectify any of the issues. Thus if it was me, I would want that fixed, before I make some kind of ADUO upgrade. I wouldn't want the potential of the ADUO upgrade making it worse.
Unless I've missed it, no Ferrari powered team has a power unit related issue. Imo that means they have a lot less to be worried about.
Measurements concern the ICE but they may upgrade more than just the ICE. In theory they could even leave the ICE and only upgrade the electrical components.Brahmal wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 04:19ADUO concerns the ICE so I don't think it would have much to do with Mercedes problems since most of them have been battery/electrical.dans79 wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 03:22Imo, that's to many teams and to many instances to be a fluke/one off, and I have heard nothing about them finding a way to rectify any of the issues. Thus if it was me, I would want that fixed, before I make some kind of ADUO upgrade. I wouldn't want the potential of the ADUO upgrade making it worse.
This kind of thinking is not logical. Just because something was delayed before because it was not working properly, the new and fixed version can still be 100% reliable.f1316 wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 09:16The only concern I had with Ferrari is based on:
(1) initial rumour that this engine is an evolution of the old hybrid (hence known quantity, hence reliable)
(2) the real 2026 engine (again based on rumour) wasn’t reliable enough, hence shelved for later
(3) when they introduce the proper engine - especially if fast tracked - will the concerns that caused them to shelve it initially really be fixed?
Huge amount of ifs and buts - hey, I’m a Ferrari fan and used to there always being something that goes wrong, so probably paranoid!
The second upgrade, presumably Monza, is where they plan for the big performance upgradesubfire91 wrote: ↑17 Jun 2026, 13:26only 5 ? i was expecting around 10-15
https://x.com/Scuderiascoop/status/2067201204170486216
Neither driver likes cars characterized by pronounced understeer. The difference is that Leclerc has an almost instinctive ability to live with a rear end that is less loaded and more mobile, managing to extract performance even when the car requires constant corrections at the wheel. This is a characteristic that over the years has allowed him to adapt to Ferraris that are often imperfect in this respect. Hamilton, on the other hand, has always built his style on trust in the rear end. It doesn't necessarily have to be an extremely planted rear end, but a predictable car that allows him to manage braking and acceleration phases without having to constantly compensate for sudden instability.
For this reason, the SF-26 represents an important step forward compared to the SF-25. At Maranello, the choice was made to invest decisively in the load generated by the rear end, a philosophy also evident when observing the work carried out on the floor and diffuser area, as well as in the evolution of the mechanical package. A direction that, at least based on what has been seen so far, seems to have delivered the hoped-for results.
More variables without ground effect. Today's cars are very different from the first cars of the ground-effect era. The previous generation of Formula 1 cars was extremely sensitive to variations in ride height and offered narrow setup windows. Current cars, on the other hand, allow greater freedom in the search for mechanical and aerodynamic balance, leaving engineers wider margins to work on ride heights and load distribution.
The strength of the SF-26
The behavior of the mechanics and tires is now different as well. Barcelona is historically considered a "front limited" track, where front axle degradation has always been the main performance factor. Current cars, however, tend to be much more "rear limited" than in the past, regardless of the circuit layout. This means the front axle reaches saturation less frequently, and managing traction and rear tires takes on significantly greater importance. A context that seems to favor the SF-26, whose main strength lies precisely in the stability of the rear axle.
However, Hamilton's progress doesn't stem solely from the car. In recent weeks, the Briton seems to have increasingly understood how to exploit the Ferrari power unit, especially during the throttle lift-off and reapplication phases. According to what has been gathered, an important contribution also came from the two days of testing carried out at Fiorano some time ago, during which work focused partly on managing deployment and on the use of electric energy during the different phases of the lap. The impression is that Hamilton has learned to be more efficient in using energy on corner exit, avoiding overloading the rear axle and reducing the wheelspin phenomena that had characterized the early races of the season.
Barcelona was probably the first weekend in which all these elements converged: a more stable car, a better understanding of the hybrid systems, and high temperatures that brought out the strengths of the SF-26. This does not mean Ferrari has built a car better suited to Hamilton than to Leclerc. Rather, it means that, compared to 2025, the two drivers now finally seem to be starting from a technical base capable of satisfying both of them. And for a team aiming to return to regular competitiveness, this could be one of the most important pieces of progress of the entire season.
