Ferrari have already suffered one ‘complete failure’ with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s 2026 F1 rules car

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Ferrari’s miserable season continued at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, and the grass may not be greener for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc even with F1’s 2026 rules.

The pinnacle of motorsport will introduce its largest regulation overhaul ever next year, with F1 ushering in new engine, aerodynamic and chassis rules. Most teams are even focusing on the 2026 F1 regulations already, as the changes may completely reshape the pecking order.

Ferrari are now in the camp of teams putting most of their resources into designing their car for the 2026 F1 season, having failed to meet their predictions for the 2025 campaign. Team principal Fred Vasseur believed Ferrari could battle for both titles before this season started.

But, from believing that a title bid was possible, Ferrari have hit the summer break second in the constructors’ standings with a 299-point deficit to leaders McLaren. Leclerc is also fifth in the F1 drivers’ championship with 151 points and Hamilton also sits sixth with 109 points.

Ferrari’s 2025 rear suspension upgrade marks an early ‘failure’ for their 2026 F1 rules car

Ferrari suffered their latest blow at the Hungarian GP last weekend, as well, as Leclerc could only finish in fourth from pole position. Hamilton also qualified in and finished in 12th place at the Hungaroring, as the 40-year-old produced his worst Grand Prix finish for Ferrari so far.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and chassis regulations

Leclerc scored Ferrari’s first pole of 2025 in Hungary after the 27-year-old capitalised on the cooler conditions in Q3 to beat McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. But he would not even finish on the podium, as the Monegasque fell to fourth place and 42.560s off the lead.

Five of those seconds stemmed from Leclerc’s penalty for driving erratically against George Russell in Hungary as he fought the Mercedes man for P3. But the bigger problem was that Ferrari had to take emergency measures to ensure Leclerc did not suffer severe plank wear.

According to a report by Formula1.it, Ferrari’s claim that Leclerc had a chassis problem was not the full reason for his sudden demise in the final third of the Hungarian GP. Instead, the Scuderia had to increase his tyre pressures in order to increase the ride height of his SF-25.

The increased ride height deprived Leclerc of aerodynamic downforce, as well as increasing his levels of wheel spin and thus tyre temperatures. It also sparked ‘several indications’ that Ferrari’s rear suspension upgrade introduced at the Belgian GP has not delivered as desired.

Technical director Loic Serra took his focus off the 2026 regulations to oversee the design of Ferrari’s rear suspension upgrade to make the SF-25 a more predictable car that they could run lower to the ground. Yet the issues Leclerc faced in Hungary suggest the upgrade failed.

Leclerc’s problems even raised fears that Ferrari’s rear suspension upgrade was a ‘complete failure’ in view of the 2026 F1 regulations. Serra and his team designed the update with the intention of testing its validity for next year’s design, more so than saving the 2025 season.

Ferrari will fear their first winless season since 2021 if their rear suspension update failed

Leclerc held Piastri off for the lead of the Hungarian GP over the first two-thirds of the race, as the McLaren star struggled to stay within DRS range. But Ferrari increasing Leclerc’s tyre pressures after already turning his engine mode down to save his skid plank cost him dearly.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Now, questions are rife about the success of the rear suspension upgrade that Ferrari added to the SF-25 at Spa. If the Scuderia indeed sacrificed Leclerc’s podium in Hungary due to his skid plank, it would then remain to be seen if Ferrari will be able to win a Grand Prix in 2025.

Ferrari are the only one of F1’s top four teams without a Grand Prix win this term, although Hamilton won the Sprint in China from pole position in March. The Maranello outfit also sit second in the constructors’ standings in part due to their rivals largely relying on one driver.

Mercedes are now 24 points behind Ferrari in the fight for the silver spoon, with McLaren in a different league out in front by 299 points. Russell has scored 172 of Mercedes’ 236 points next to rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Max Verstappen has 187 of Red Bull’s 194 so far.