Ferrari’s ‘unusual’ move with Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 car hints they may be ‘ahead of the competition’

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Ferrari can only describe the 2025 F1 season as a failure, and their focus on the 2026 regulations has played a part in Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s woes this term.

The Scuderia entered the 2025 campaign believing that they would be contenders for the F1 drivers’ championship and the constructors’ championship. Ferrari finished just 14 points off McLaren in the teams’ standings last year, but they will not finish higher than fourth in 2025.

Ferrari are now confirmed in fourth place in the constructors’ championship with one round of the 2025 F1 season remaining at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The pride of Italy also head to Yas Marina trailing McLaren, who defended the title, by 418 points so far, with 800 over 382.

Leclerc is also confirmed in fifth place in the drivers’ standings on 230 points so far in 2025 and Hamilton is sixth with 152 points in his first term at Ferrari. Yet Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli can surpass Hamilton, having secured 150 points since he replaced the Briton.

Ferrari hint they are ahead of their rivals with an early crash test of their 2026 F1 regulations car

Hamilton has called 2025 his “worst season ever” in F1, and he is right to brand his first year with Ferrari as such. The 40-year-old is yet to take a Grand Prix podium through 23 of the 24 rounds, and he will now set his worst points total under the scoring system used since 2010.

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

Team principal Fred Vasseur admits that Ferrari’s failure this year stemmed from making the 2026 F1 regulations their priority back in April. The Scuderia ceased developing the SF-25 in their wind tunnel extremely early so that they did not waste any of their resources on 2025.

But while Ferrari are the only one of F1’s top four teams without a Grand Prix win this term, they may be ‘ahead of the competition’ with their car for the 2026 regulations. Motorsport-Total notes that Ferrari have already successfully completed a crash test with their 2026 car.

Ferrari have completed the necessary crash test at CSI’s laboratories in Bollate very early to serve as a sign of the progress of their 2026 project. It is ‘unusual’ for an F1 team to stage a crash test this early, with most crews favouring the end of December or the start of January.

The Maranello squad wanted to get ahead of the curve to ‘underline their ambition’ for the new regulations cycle. Ferrari will also introduce drastic changes to their car next year, with the pride of Italy set to ditch their pull-rod suspension set-up in favour of push-rods in 2026.

Ferrari hope the 2026 F1 regulations take them to the top, as they return to push-rod suspension

Ferrari will run push-rod suspension on both axles in 2026, having accepted that moving to a pull-rod set-up in 2025 was a mistake. Next term will also raise further challenges for Ferrari, with F1 introducing active aerodynamics for the first time to aid the new engine regulations.

The Scuderia are one of the five power unit manufacturers for F1’s 2026 engine rules, along with Audi, Honda, Mercedes and Red Bull. Ferrari will supply engines to Cadillac and Haas in 2026, as well, with Sauber leaving their stable to become a fully-fledged factory Audi squad.

Bosses in Maranello hope the 2026 F1 regulations will allow Ferrari to return to the top after their failings this year, having opted to shift their focus in April. Hamilton admits that Ferrari focusing on F1’s 2026 regulations made 2025 “less exciting” by not developing their car, too.