Ferrari have done the impossible to give Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc a power boost in Austria

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According to a report from Italy, Ferrari engineers have managed to find a way to give Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc more engine power for the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix by using a ‘revolutionary development path’.

Since the current crop of cars first hit the track in pre-season testing, it became clear that Ferrari’s SF-26 was lacking in engine power compared to the rest of the power unit manufacturers on the grid.

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Fast forward a few months, and the Scuderia’s disadvantage was confirmed by the FIA, who have ruled that the iconic Italian racing outfit will be eligible for two ‘free’ engine upgrades as part of the sport’s new Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities initiative.

At this moment in time, Ferrari are currently awaiting final confirmation from the FIA before adding the final touches to their new-look engine for the Austrian Grand Prix, which was initially expected to be race-ready for the race weekend in Belgium in July.

A report by Motorsport Italia has shed more light on the Prancing Horse’s new philosophy, which has been tipped to fix Lewis Hamilton’s biggest gripe with Ferrari this year: their lack of power.

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Ferrari’s new engine upgrade will allow them to run their power unit at a higher temperature

The report highlights how Ferrari opted to replace their traditional aluminium cylinder heads with a steel alloy version of the component, despite the ‘so-called experts of technical analysis’ calling it ‘practically impracticable’.

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Aluminium is the standard material used for these components, due to the fact that it is a much lighter element, whereas steel brings a swathe of issues along with it, including its weight.

However, the reason for the change is that steel allows for the combustion chamber temperature to run at a ‘significantly higher’ reading than its aluminium counterpart.

The traditional cylinder head would have faced ‘inevitable failures’ at the temperature Ferrari wants to run at. Ferrari have become widely regarded as the only power unit manufacturer to run at such high temperatures.

While the norm is usually around 60-70 degrees Celsius, according to the report, the SF-26 has been racing at around 100 degrees, which will hopefully be dialled up to around 115 degrees if everything goes to plan in Spielberg.

• READ MORE: Ferrari’s 2026 F1 engine has a clear design flaw that’s costing them 10 horsepower to Mercedes

The increased temperatures will be paired with even more pressure inside the combustion chamber, resulting in Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc benefiting from more horsepower out of the exact same amount of fuel.

Essentially, the upgraded engine will be squeezing every single microscopic drop of performance out of the fuel, meaning the SF-26 may finally prove to be a serious competitor to the rest of the F1 grid when it comes to straight-line speed.