I think that Ferrari experienced a circuit specific cooling problem in Austria.
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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.
I think that Ferrari experienced a circuit specific cooling problem in Austria.
Glad that the drivers are being pushed to their abosulte limits and have to dig deep. Competitive drivers are great for development.ScuderiaLeo wrote: ↑06 Jul 2026, 01:36I don't think it was a software change. Per Leclerc it sounds like setup and then changing how he takes corners:
Q: How is it possible for things to change so much in the car? Yesterday you talked about philosophical changes but as far as I'm concerned, I don't know of any philosophy that can make the car go faster.
Leclerc: When I say philosophical, I mean more about the small changes I can make to my driving style, to drive a little better in different phases of cornering. I don't want to go into too much detail, but there's a few things I saw on the data on Friday night and went "OK, so those things might not be suitable for my driving style." And then we changed our approach from the sprint to qualifying and performed better. The change wasn't black and white, it wasn't the type where you look at the data and know for sure that you need to change something. It's more intuition and feeling and making changes suitable for my style. We decided to just go for it and it turned out to be the right direction.
Yeah, I had the same concern - it’s the type of thing you can imagine them doing.f1Follower wrote: ↑06 Jul 2026, 11:57I hope now the FiA does not ban the wing as RB rear wing failed.
Especially now with 1/2 the grid seemingly having some sort of flip wing under development. It doesn't take an engineer to see that the Red Bull solution is less mechanically robust than Ferrari's, with those swing-arm hinges at either end being prime culprit imo.f1316 wrote: ↑06 Jul 2026, 23:38It wouldn’t make a lot of sense because (a) the regular “DRS style” wing can also fail and used to more frequently in the early days (it took a bit of time to iron out all the bugs) (b) it’s in the FIA’s interest for teams to reduce drag as much as possible (in order to make up for the lack of battery power).
If they do ban then I would quit Formula 1. Better they start giving out the cars along with engines line in F2 and F3. Also there is a bias clearly seen against some set of teams and their innovations even though they are deemed legal. Point to note that RB rear wing started failing only after they started reducing weight. We can speculate but RB team did not take into account the aero load on the rear wingf1316 wrote: ↑06 Jul 2026, 23:38Yeah, I haf1Follower wrote: ↑06 Jul 2026, 11:57I hope now the FiA does not ban the wing as RB rear wing failed.
d the same concern - it’s the type of thing you can imagine them doing.
It wouldn’t make a lot of sense because (a) the regular “DRS style” wing can also fail and used to more frequently in the early days (it took a bit of time to iron out all the bugs) (b) it’s in the FIA’s interest for teams to reduce drag as much as possible (in order to make up for the lack of battery power).
Ferrari also spent a lot more time testing and refining their design before committing to the wing for a race weekend, if I recall Red Bull tested theirs in Miami and used it there too, admittedly they could be testing a lot more behind the scenes but just from what I have seen on track.f1Follower wrote: ↑07 Jul 2026, 04:47If they do ban then I would quit Formula 1. Better they start giving out the cars along with engines line in F2 and F3. Also there is a bias clearly seen against some set of teams and their innovations even though they are deemed legal. Point to note that RB rear wing started failing only after they started reducing weight. We can speculate but RB team did not take into account the aero load on the rear wingf1316 wrote: ↑06 Jul 2026, 23:38Yeah, I haf1Follower wrote: ↑06 Jul 2026, 11:57I hope now the FiA does not ban the wing as RB rear wing failed.
d the same concern - it’s the type of thing you can imagine them doing.
It wouldn’t make a lot of sense because (a) the regular “DRS style” wing can also fail and used to more frequently in the early days (it took a bit of time to iron out all the bugs) (b) it’s in the FIA’s interest for teams to reduce drag as much as possible (in order to make up for the lack of battery power).
That was shown in Austria where Lewis had a moment in to turn 9. He had pseudo-pressed the button and then realised he hadn't as he turned in and pressed it again. BY the time the wing had closed he was committed to the corner and had to correct the rear. The suggestion from commentary was that they have to do this because it doesn't flip fast enough to just use the normal DRS brake pedal activation.
Afaik the RB wing issue is it does not close properly at some point which has nothing to do with automatic/manual control. Im more inclined to say, as others allude to, the mechanism itself is not robust due to excessive weight savings or similar
"No simulator manages to perfectly predict the behavior of these electric F1 cars
One of the most interesting aspects concerns the simulators. At Maranello, simulations indicated a Ferrari as much as 6-7 tenths slower on some circuits, and this applies to Spa as well. Relatively similar assessments came from the tools used by the competition too. The problem is that no one is coming even remotely close to the usual level of precision. Today's F1 cars have extremely high sensitivity. The algorithm adjusts performance based on the aerodynamic load actually produced on track, but variations in grip change how that translates into traction. Traction then affects how electrical energy is deployed. At that point the simulation loses precision. It's a chain of events that no model today can yet reproduce perfectly. For engineers, lap time has become a balance between three factors: aerodynamics, traction, and electrical deployment. Each one weighs almost as much as the others. If one of the three elements falls outside the ideal window, overall performance drops quickly and the setup goes haywire. Ferrari is the team that has modified the car the most in recent weeks. The first jump came with the Barcelona aerodynamic package. In Austria, the first evolution of the ADUO power unit was introduced. The use of a new Mgu-k specification also went almost unnoticed, brought into the pool together with the update to the internal combustion engine and the turbocharger."
Developments don't stop, more news after the summer.
Work continues under the guidance of technical director Loic Serra, while at Silverstone the head of aerodynamics Diego Tondi was also present in the garage — a sign that aerodynamic development of the SF-26 remains an absolute priority. The third major performance package is expected after the summer break, with its debut planned for Zandvoort. It will include performance components and some specifications dedicated to the high-load circuit.
Mercedes more cautious on upgrades. Mercedes, on the other hand, has chosen a more conservative strategy. The advantage accumulated in the first part of the season has allowed it to proceed with less aggressive upgrades, without upsetting the balance of the W17. After the FIA's intervention on diffuser restrictions, some specifications planned for that area were shelved. This could have appeared to be a disadvantage or a setback, however Ferrari too had given up on some rather complex parts that could have had consequences."
The circuit's inauguration took place just a few days ago, with Carlos Sainz in attendance along with the main political authorities who contributed to building the facility and the Grand Prix that will be held in September. A few laps have already been driven, but no 2026 Formula 1 car has taken to the track yet. It will be Ferrari that gives the new Spanish circuit its baptism of fire. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will indeed hit the track on Thursday with the SF-26 to make use of the second available filming day: 200 km in total for the two Ferrari drivers. Ferrari is therefore getting ahead of the game, but above all is seizing an opportunity served up on a silver platter. According to what AutoRacer has learned, it was in fact the Madring organizers who invited the team to the circuit for a promotional event, entrusting Ferrari with the task of "inaugurating" the track with a Formula 1 car and covering all the event's costs themselves.
Ferrari has agreed, but has also gone a step further. It will not show up on track with a historic car, a GT, or an old Formula 1 car usable for TPC testing; instead, it will bring the SF-26 directly to Madrid, taking advantage of the second of the two available filming days. There will be no new components to test or anything else—the SF-26 will essentially be the same as in the last few races. This way, it will be able to gather valuable data ahead of the September Grand Prix, while at the same time achieving significant financial savings thanks to the organizers covering the costs. It may seem like a marginal detail, but in the Budget Cap era, saving a few hundred thousand euros on logistics costs—transport, circuit rental, session fees—is anything but irrelevant, especially if the season continues to be marked by a tight battle on the development front, an aspect Toto Wolff has been drawing attention to for some time now. Ferrari, however, just as with the development of the SF-26, wants to push right up to the limit allowed by the regulations: this too is an opportunity seized in a more aggressive, shrewd, and efficient manner.