Fred Vasseur still thinks Ferrari can win 2026 title after seeing what Max Verstappen did last year

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Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur ‘still believes’ in their title chances despite their winless start to the 2026 season.

After last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished sixth and eighth respectively, the Scuderia are 70 points behind Mercedes in the standings. Leclerc briefly led at the start but had fallen to fourth before hitting to the wall on the final lap.

The Monegasque eventually limped across the line in sixth but was penalised for driving in an unsafe condition and multiple instances of leaving the track and gaining an advantage. He remains third in the drivers’ standings (59 points), but Lando Norris (51) has overtaken Hamilton (also 51) for fourth.

Fred Vasseur inspired by Max Verstappen’s Red Bull comeback

Oscar Piastri finished second at the Japanese GP before the break, hinting that McLaren may about to overtake Ferrari as Mercedes’ nearest challenger. Their double podium in Miami, led by Norris this time, seemed to confirm that change in the pecking order.

Ferrari ambassador Marc Gene had said 2026 could be Leclerc’s year, but he is now 41 points behind Kimi Antonelli. The Scuderia haven’t won either championship since 2008 and their prospects appear to be fading.

Can Ferrari still win an F1 title in 2026?

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But Vasseur says Max Verstappen’s charge in the second half of the 2025 season gives him hope. Verstappen was 104 points behind Piastri after the Dutch GP, round 14 of 24.

By the end of the season, he had overtaken Piastri and finished just two points behind world champion Norris after winning six out of nine races.

“Verstappen was in contention for the title last year, winning from Monza; I still believe in the championship,” Vasseur said, via Gazzetta dello Sport.

Why Ferrari’s Miami upgrade could spoil title comeback hopes

In 2024, McLaren sat 115 points behind Red Bull after six rounds, and they eventually finished ahead of them by 77 points, a record-breaking swing.

As for the drivers’ championship, Verstappen came from 46 points back to beat Leclerc in 2022, which is the record under the current points system. Leclerc is rapidly approaching that territory this year.

History does lend credence to Vasseur’s words, but the team’s in-season development record is a concern.

Ferrari took a major cost cap hit when they introduced 11 upgrades for the Miami GP, but initial estimates suggest they gained less than a tenth of a second.

What’s more, Ferrari broke the ‘number one rule of engineering’ by making so many changes simultaneously. If the upgrade doesn’t meet expectations – and it certainly hasn’t done so up to this point – it could take multiple races to identify which parts aren’t working.

Red Bull’s Monza upgrade transformed Verstappen’s season last year, but Ferrari haven’t shown they’re capable of unlocking that kind of speed.