2026 Scuderia Ferrari HP F1 Team

[f1316]

Temperatures likely to be 26-28deg C for Saturday and Sunday with no rain currently forecast. Could be a stiff breeze from the West which is a tail wind in the high speed Abbey (T1) and Copse (T9) corners. Will that temperature be enough to cause high deg? Tyres will be C1, C2, C3 rather than Austria's C3, C4, C5 so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

Edit: have seen C2, C3, C4 for Silverstone which might make it more tricky if temperatures get a bit higher.

I think the issue is that Silverstone has fewer braking zones than Barcelona - even though both circuits have a lot of fast corners, they’re not as similar as we sometimes think. So deployment will probably be a particular problem.

Can the high speed corner performance + some kind of tyre deg advantage for that kind of corner cancel that out? Tough to say but I doubt it.

My hope is that perhaps they haven’t optimised the deployment software for the ADUO upgrade - so while Hamilton said the “grunt” out of a corner felt good, they ran out of deployment too soon - and maybe there’s more potential there? But that’s just wishful thinking, not necessarily based on anything.

Good points but not about tyre deg which is what was being discussed.

Fair - but I interpreted “making a 3 stop work” as “will we be competitive”. Technically the 3 stop in Austria “worked”, we just weren’t competitive.

So what I’m saying: maybe we’ll have good tyre deg (and maybe we won’t) but unfortunately I don’t think it’ll be enough to be competitive. We really needed that first ADUO to do a bit more to aid deployment for us to be properly competitive across a range of circuits.

[catent]

So if 3-4 disappointing results in a row (only two of which actually saw substandard pace,
relative to the standard Leclerc has set over the past 8+ seasons) is enough to prove a driver has “lost it”, what does that mean for Hamilton who looked “lost” for the better part of 4 full seasons, before recently rediscovering his groove? Maybe we should reconsider kneejerk reactions and narratives.

Leclerc was off the pace in Canada but wasn’t confident on the brakes.

Brake issues persist into Monaco. Pace was good during the race but the brake DNF cast a nasty shadow over what would’ve otherwise been a fine points haul.

Barcelona was simply an error in judgment during Q3. Otherwise the pace and form was good throughout the weekend. Bad luck with the mechanical DNF.

Austria was a tough weekend for the entire team. Leclerc was fine in qualifying but struggled during the race. This and Canada were the two weekends where his pace was actually lacking.

Any of these results in a vacuum, throughout a season, wouldn’t be terribly concerning. Sometimes the car has gremlins; sometimes the best drivers don’t have the pace on certain days; sometimes mechanical failures occur. Leclerc has dealt with all three of those variables in very close proximity to each other, which is amplifying the perception of concern, since these struggles have been in consecutive weeks.

Leclerc has been in F1 for 8+ seasons; he has participated in over 150+ F1 events. We have come to recognize him as a legitimate talent based on his extended career in F1. It’s a MUCH more probable conclusion that the talent he displayed over those many years/races is real and didn’t vanish overnight, rather than the conclusion that those 8+ seasons and 150+ events were flukes.

Heck, it’s not even a matter of speculation; based on how we define “flukes” and looking at the sample sizes, the only fair and accurate conclusion is that Leclerc is a proven talent who’s currently going through a rough spell for a variety of reasons. Why some are discounting the rest of his (long and successful) career in their analysis, is beyond me.

A bit pathetic that people are turning on Leclerc, IMO.

[edu2703]

Any of these results in a vacuum, throughout a season, wouldn’t be terribly concerning. Sometimes the car has gremlins; sometimes the best drivers don’t have the pace on certain days; sometimes mechanical failures occur. Leclerc has dealt with all three of those variables in very close proximity to each other, which is amplifying the perception of concern, since these struggles have been in consecutive weeks.

The problem is precisely that this is happening in sequence. It takes a toll on the driver’s mental state, and even if 50% of it wasn’t directly his fault, it ends up putting unsustainable pressure on him to deliver results in the next race, leading him to overdrive and make even more mistakes in his desperation to perform.

Leclerc already doesn’t handle pressure well. With five bad race weekends in a row, the biggest fear is that he’ll enter a downward spiral from which it’s very difficult to escape without a revolution of some kind, especially in the car.

[deadhead]

So if 3-4 disappointing results in a row (only two of which actually saw substandard pace,
relative to the standard Leclerc has set over the past 8+ seasons) is enough to prove a driver has “lost it”, what does that mean for Hamilton who looked “lost” for the better part of 4 full seasons, before recently rediscovering his groove? Maybe we should reconsider kneejerk reactions and narratives.

“You are only as good as your last race” or something like that.

Hamilton’s struggles are all forgotten. He is no longer too old, too slow, past his prime, etc.

In fact he is “blossoming”

[sucof]

This Ham/Leclerc debate is pathetic...
This might be the modern humans worst feature: ultra short attention span.
Leclerc proved himself in 8 seasons, not just beating 2 former world champion team mates, but by amazing pole laps and races.
Stop pretending that all of you guys always are at 100% at your jobs and imagine even top drivers have problems.
Those who suddenly praise Ham, remember he had a few years beaten by his teammates recently! So if he can recover, why is Leclerc suddenly doomed?

This is silly, sorry. Why not discuss how or why Ferrari is unable to climb to the top after so many years?
What is missing? I think this is a way more interesting and valuable topic.

[PlatinumZealot]

LEC vs RUS Austria quali.https://i.postimg.cc/T3tL6xKn/speed(8).png

https://instagram.fbma5-1.fna.fbcdn.net ... e=6A496C2A

Not too bad. If we use Canada levels of throttle percent as a cross-over point we have most of the tracks favouring the car. Ferrari will feel lots of pain in Monza, Britain and Belgium for sure though, but should flourish in the balance of the tracks. Maybe some more wins are on the cards.

[PlatinumZealot]

1 time is a fluke.
2 times is a concern.
3 times is a problem.
4 times is a disaster.
I am honestly shocked at the drop off from Chuck. If he does not get it right in Silverstone, it has to be asked what has happened. Commenting that 4 adolescent accidents is driver yin-yang is based. This is the highest paid driver pairing, likely by many miles, and if one of them does something like this, repeatedly/consecutively, it’s worthy of accounting in the team thread. Chuck needs to pull his $#it together. The end. No more excuses. A driver worthy of a championship should be able to adjust to any decent car without a lot of mistakes just like Max does…especially at the pay grade Chuck is enjoying (Didn’t he just upgrade his yacht again?).

There is absolutely no light at the end of the tunnel. He is just extremely slow and doesn’t know why as he said so himself in the interviews. Both him and Ferrari should have decided to part away at the end of 2025. At least Leclerc got a massive salary, Ferrari is completely ---, but it’s also on them not being able to help Leclerc. Now they have to rely on Hamilton who as i said looks ok only because Leclerc current abysmal level. Good luck to Ferrari for the rest of the season and next year. If they want to fire Leclerc they will have to give him like 150M.

Let's be fair and balanced. Let's give Charles some time to find his feet again. He's young and near his prime so let's not give him a full year? Maybe a half a season is reasonable. I'm sure he will be back very strong.

[Chuckjr]

Thoughts about Ferrari and their drivers from Peter Windsor. Starts at 44:45.

[sucof]

Thoughts about Ferrari and their drivers from Peter Windsor. Starts at 44:45.

Uhh... not Peter Windsor...
He has history for sure, but he has a painful favouritism and he always have some agenda... Sorry... he is not an objective journalist or expert.

[FDD]

Didn’t Ferrari just successfully petition the FIA to nerf Merc’s diffuser?

Because FIA had nerfed a similar diffuser from Ferrari long ago. It would have been 'too obvious' had they allowed Mercedes' since it's a 'visible part'. FIA's hand was forced this time, purely due to 'precedent'.

And before that they always made decisions that helped Ferrari, formt he mid 90s to the late 2010s at least including the cheat engine years where no punishment was given. Nothing new...

Which engine cheat?

[Badger]

Because FIA had nerfed a similar diffuser from Ferrari long ago. It would have been 'too obvious' had they allowed Mercedes' since it's a 'visible part'. FIA's hand was forced this time, purely due to 'precedent'.

And before that they always made decisions that helped Ferrari, formt he mid 90s to the late 2010s at least including the cheat engine years where no punishment was given. Nothing new...

Which engine cheat?

That would be a reference to 2019 I believe.

[WardenOfTheNorth]

Just thinking about this weekend, before setting off down to Silverstone this afternoon, the Maggots Becketts complex is not going to be flat out in these cars, so I expect to see everyone super-clipping through there.

Then big braking into Stowe. Save energy on the run down to Vale, another braking zone, then round onto the Hamilton Straight. Then next proper braking zone is into The Loop. I think that section and the run down into Copse are going to be the problem areas for deployment.

Hopefully they get the tyres switched on and can get good traction out of the preceding corners to keep faster cars behind...

[dans79]

Those who suddenly praise Ham, remember he had a few years beaten by his teammates recently! So if he can recover, why is Leclerc suddenly doomed?

This has been covered before, bit it seems it needs to be repeated.

Lewis's Vs the corners. He brakes very late and very hard in a strait line, this causes an extreme weight transfer to the front axle, that ensures as much front grip as possible. He then turns in and releases the brakes in a controlled fashion (aka trail braking). People like to say this makes the car rotate faster, and that is true in laymen terms. technically speaking when everything goes perfectly it increases the cars slip angle, if it doesn't he gets little micro oversteer snaps. On exit he straitens out the car, and applies power as quickly as possible.

This style didn't work with the GE cars, because it aerodynamically unsettled the car. To get maximum performance out of the GE cars you needed to be buttery smooth, and minimize changing the cars pitch under braking.


Charles Us the corners. He breaks late like Lewis (not sure he is as late though) and turns in very aggressively but he doesn't trail brake like Lewis does. He gets off the brakes earlier and carries more speed through the apex on average. This is one of the reasons why Charles looks like he is on the razors edge on hot laps. Like Lewis, he gets little micro oversteer snaps when everything doesn't go perfectly.

this style is a little more adaptable, and worked very well for him in the GE error.


My hypothesis is that right now (with regards to the formula) over the course of a race distance Lewis's style is a little better on average. If he breaks later than Charles he hits a little higher speed down the straits, and can recharge a little more via super clipping and standard harvesting. It also allows him to keep more heat in the brakes (not always a good thing).

This effect could become more severe or it could become less severe, depending on how the team and the sport as a whole develop through the current regulation set. Charles might also adapt to some extent, and negate the difference. I'm sure the shifting to a 60/40 split over the next few years will also make the issue less severe.

[Farnborough]

Just thinking about this weekend, before setting off down to Silverstone this afternoon, the Maggots Becketts complex is not going to be flat out in these cars, so I expect to see everyone super-clipping through there.

Then big braking into Stowe. Save energy on the run down to Vale, another braking zone, then round onto the Hamilton Straight. Then next proper braking zone is into The Loop. I think that section and the run down into Copse are going to be the problem areas for deployment.

Hopefully they get the tyres switched on and can get good traction out of the preceding corners to keep faster cars behind...

Stowe should be a big harvesting opportunity, there would be a big time slot through there to capitalise upon.

[deadhead]

1 time is a fluke.
2 times is a concern.
3 times is a problem.
4 times is a disaster.
I am honestly shocked at the drop off from Chuck. If he does not get it right in Silverstone, it has to be asked what has happened. Commenting that 4 adolescent accidents is driver yin-yang is based. This is the highest paid driver pairing, likely by many miles, and if one of them does something like this, repeatedly/consecutively, it’s worthy of accounting in the team thread. Chuck needs to pull his $#it together. The end. No more excuses. A driver worthy of a championship should be able to adjust to any decent car without a lot of mistakes just like Max does…especially at the pay grade Chuck is enjoying (Didn’t he just upgrade his yacht again?).

There is absolutely no light at the end of the tunnel. He is just extremely slow and doesn’t know why as he said so himself in the interviews. Both him and Ferrari should have decided to part away at the end of 2025. At least Leclerc got a massive salary, Ferrari is completely ---, but it’s also on them not being able to help Leclerc. Now they have to rely on Hamilton who as i said looks ok only because Leclerc current abysmal level. Good luck to Ferrari for the rest of the season and next year. If they want to fire Leclerc they will have to give him like 150M.

Let's be fair and balanced. Let's give Charles some time to find his feet again. He's young and near his prime so let's not give him a full year? Maybe a half a season is reasonable. I'm sure he will be back very strong.

Leclerc has been struggling with braking performance since Canada.

What happened? Only Ferrari know what they changed.

Leclerc’s inability to adapt suggests a big problem in background.