Let's talk Ferrari's 2026 season chances

The 2025 season has been a catalogue of embarrassing races for Ferrari. The most iconic team in F1 became a laughing stock as one race after the other showcased what a terrible car the SF25 was. Much to disbelief, Ferrari finished a season without winning a single race.

With the rule change in 2026, the SF25 seem destined for the skip, or some very obscure corner of Ferrari car warehouse. And the drivers would not miss it. Seeing how awful the SF25 was, one wonders how good the SF26 is likely to be.

A few pointers suggest that they are likely to get the SF26 wrong as well.

Firstly, they have lost two key engine engineers to Audi. The engine in the SF25 was notably weaker than the Mercedes and Honda engines powering the cars ahead this season.

Secondly, they do not seem to be engaging with the driver on the design of the new car. Without valuable driver inputs, chances are they would present the drivers with a car that would replicate this season.

Thirdly, I think they would have to start afresh on all fronts, as not much from the SF25 would not be carried forward into the new car. You cannot build a great car from a bad one.

Fourthly, the team needs a complete reshuffle. This would imply that many people in the team would be adjusting to new positions, or newcomers would be learning how to fit into the team. This would mean Ferrari would not be at the same level of efficiency as its competition in 2026. To be fair, they were not at the same level of efficiency as the competition in 2025, hence same difference, l guess.

I hope they surprise me in 2026. Unfortunately, they seemed very lost this season, and that is not a good sign entering a new regulation era.

What do you think? Is Ferrari done as a sharp-end team? Or can they bounce back in 2026?