- Ferrari running a revised engine on their test bench in Maranello.
- New unit has conceptual and structural differences from current set-up.
- Mercedes locked out the top two positions at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Ferrari are already running a revised 2026 power unit on their test bench in Maranello as they work to close the large engine deficit to Mercedes, according to Sky Sport Italia commentator Matteo Bobbi.
Bobbi said in a YouTube video (on March 18) that the new unit features “conceptual and structural differences” from the engine Ferrari are currently running. They were reportedly aware of the shortfall before the pre-season shakedown in Barcelona, meaning a development plan was already in place before they had hit the track in anger.
The second round of the season in Shanghai (on March) 15 showed the big scale of the performance gap. Mercedes locked out the front two positions, with Kimi Antonelli winning ahead of teammate George Russell. Lewis Hamilton finished third for Ferrari, 25.267 seconds behind the leader. Charles Leclerc was fourth, 3.6 seconds back behind his teammate.
Hamilton on the deficit
Hamilton’s post-race comments, reported by ESPN, made it very clear where he saw the problem in terms of the power gap.
“The car generally felt great, but I think it is on the straights. It’s a lot of time to be losing,” Hamilton said. “We really have to push so hard back in Maranello to improve on power. I think car-wise, the car feels great. I think we can compete with them corners, but when you’re down on power, it’s just the way it is.”
Leclerc added that the 0.5-second loss on the long back straight between Turns 13 and 14 was mainly due to battery deployment issues.
Ferrari’s chassis is competitive through corners, but the car loses ground wherever straight-line speed is needed. But this power unit deficit is now being addressed on the dyno.
From bench to race car
A dyno, or ‘test bench’, allows Ferrari to run the engine in controlled conditions, where they can accurately map torque and power curves while stress-testing components over race distance. But the step from promising ‘sim’ results to a legal, race-ready upgrade is far more complicated.
The 2026 FIA technical regs imposed a homologation deadline of March 1, after which engine designs are effectively locked in. Performance-driven modifications are therefore restricted once a power unit is homologated.
However, the regs also include a mechanism called ‘Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities’, designed to give manufacturers with large performance deficits an opportunity to close the gap during the season.
Whether Ferrari’s revised concept qualifies under that, or whether the team has another regulatory route available, remains unclear. The $130 million power unit cost-cap adds constraint on how aggressively any manufacturer can redesign main engine components mid-season.
For now, the dyno is running. The question is how quickly a bench-tested concept can become an in-car fix under the new 2026 rules.
