Ralf Schumacher already hearing about 2026 Ferrari ‘disaster’ as worrying testing theory emerges

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Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has admitted he’s already heard worrying noises coming out of Ferrari that suggest the upcoming 2026 season could be a ‘disaster’.

Ferrari are coming off the back of a disappointing season in 2025, as team principal Fred Vasseur admitted abandoning last season’s car when he realised a championship challenge was off the cards.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton failed to win a Grand Prix throughout the campaign, as the seven-time world champion’s victory in the Sprint Race in China proved to be a false dawn.

Teams are beginning to reveal their 2026 cars, with Red Bull launching a new livery alongside new engine partners Ford in Detroit.

Audi and Cadillac have both taken part in filming days, and while Ferrari’s SF-26 hasn’t emerged on any testing track yet, Ralf Schumacher is already concerned about the Scuderia’s plans going into this season.

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Ralf Schumacher says he’s ‘already hearing’ about a Ferrari ‘disaster’ ahead of the 2026 F1 season

Schumacher was speaking on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast about the potential frontrunners for the upcoming season.

He said: “I believe that [Isack] Hadjar can and will adapt to the situation very quickly.

“He has the great advantage of starting with a new car, at least with Max Verstappen.

“So from that point of view, it’s going to be an extremely exciting year for Red Bull and therefore also for Mercedes, where it has to be said that the driver pairing has been very stable. The same applies to McLaren.

“So those are the teams that at least know they have two drivers they can work with, develop in one direction, and that will be their strength. And Max has to wait and see, but he is a strong leader.

“And disaster, as we’re already hearing between the numbers, seems to be Ferrari again.

“That’s what stands out the most. They’re developing two cars, and I can almost imagine why, because Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have completely different opinions about the car.

“If that’s the case, then it’s a disaster from the outset. I’ve always said that because you can’t develop two cars. Yes, and Fred Vasseur has also said that it seems to be anything but good.”

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Ralf Schumacher says potential 2026 issues for Ferrari are ‘nothing new’

Ferrari have acted to replace Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer ahead of the new campaign, with Riccardo Adami moved onto the team’s driver academy.

Communication between driver and race engineer is going to be even more important next year, with information on when to deploy different aerodynamic modes and boosts set to be vital.

Internally, Ferrari are under more pressure than any other team, with fans and senior executives expecting success from an outfit that haven’t won a championship since 2008.

There’s also the potential for Leclerc to outperform Hamilton under the new regulations, which gives Vasseur another headache as he would have to navigate whether retaining the seven-time world champion after his Mercedes move is the right call.

Schumacher was speaking about Ferrari’s issues going into 2026 and continued: “Yes, of course, everything depends on the team’s performance.

“That’s why we have to wait and see how the tests go, and I would say the first two races, but of course, if that doesn’t happen, because everything was focused on that, we were told that nothing more was being done from China onwards, only the new car, so you expect to be more in contention for the world championship, and if that doesn’t happen again, then obviously there will be decisions to be made.

“I’m pretty sure of that. But everyone knows that. It’s nothing new at Ferrari.

“I mean, there’s a wonderful statistic about how many team bosses there have been and how many drivers have been replaced. So, that’s just pure Ferrari emotion in every respect.”