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Ferrari are arguably outdeveloping their rivals at the front of the F1 grid right now, including Mercedes.
For years, in-season development has been regarded as a key weakness at Maranello, but Martin Brundle said Ferrari’s Barcelona upgrades impressed the entire paddock, and noted that they seemed to be improving at the fastest rate.
Indeed, The Race report that Ferrari have gained seven to eight tenths since the car was launched, more than championship leaders Mercedes and third-place McLaren.
What is the BIGGEST reason for Lewis Hamilton’s turnaround at Ferrari this year?
Loic Serra is showing why Mercedes should have fought harder to keep him
The mastermind of Ferrari’s impressive Barcelona package was Loic Serra, their chassis technical director. Serra joined the team from Mercedes in October 2024, so this was effectively the first car concept he was able to meaningfully influence.
Serra has taken over from Enrico Cardile, who left to join Aston Martin. According to RacingNews365, his departure was a key factor behind Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes a couple of years ago.
The Frenchman, who served as the performance director, was apparently at odds with other technical staff at Brackley, including former chief technical officer Mike Elliott. He felt Mercedes were going in the wrong direction with their ground-effect cars, and his concerns were borne out as their dominance came to an end.
Perhaps Toto Wolff has now come to regret not listening to Serra, which would have kept him on board. A founding member of the Mercedes team following their 2010 comeback, he is now one of the key figures behind Ferrari’s growing title bid.
The one budgetary concern for Ferrari after upgrade spree
One possible concern for Ferrari is that, according to The Race, they have already used a ‘significant portion’ of their aerodynamic development budget. Spending is tightly controlled in modern F1 thanks to the cost cap.
With the ‘primary development phase’ complete, most upgrades will be smaller and circuit-specific. Mercedes have only introduced one major package so far, so they may have more room for growth from here, along with McLaren and Red Bull.
Already seen by some as the benchmark in the chassis department, Ferrari could now prioritise their engine as they seek to close the gap.
Ferrari will debut a new engine in Spielberg thanks to the controversial ADUO mechanism in the 2026 regulations, which gives them two upgrades to Mercedes’ one.
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