Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has committed to ongoing development of the SF-26 following a frustrating Spanish Grand Prix at Madring.
The Italian marque trails Mercedes in the constructors’ standings, while Lewis Hamilton slipped further behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli after a brake failure forced his retirement. Despite the mounting deficit, Vasseur insists Maranello will not immediately abandon their current challenger.
Developing For The Future
Speaking to Motorsport.com, the Frenchman highlighted that incoming upgrades will directly benefit next season. “The development that we do now, 80% will be carried over,” Vasseur confirmed.
To maximise this strategy, Ferrari must solve their single-lap struggles. Charles Leclerc finished fourth in Spain after an ambitious long stint on hard tyres, but the team’s persistent Saturday qualifying slump remains their biggest hurdle. Vasseur noted that race pace is strong, but poor grid positions continually compromise their Sunday strategy.
Hamilton Suffers Brake Failure
Hamilton retired his Ferrari after the opening laps in Spain. Detailing the issue to PlanetF1.com, Vasseur revealed the team could not resolve a dangerous fault.
“The pedal was long. We tried to fix it from the pit wall, and then it happened again a couple of corners later,” he explained, adding that continuing “made no sense” due to the risk.
Ferrari will now focus on extracting single-lap pace and validating fresh components at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
