Ferrari detail huge scale to overcome F1 rival advantage

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has outlined the scale of the challenge his squad faces in closing the straight-line speed gap.

Throughout the 2026 campaign, the Italian squad has noted that it is lacking pace at top speed compared to the likes of Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton reiterated the point at the recent Italian Grand Prix, despite the team introducing a fresh engine upgrade.

However, Vasseur insisted the situation is vastly complicated, and the push to develop an upgraded engine is a much bigger task compared to the aero.

“The process of the engine is mega long,” Vasseur told media including RacingNews365. 

“The chassis, you can make an upgrade from one day to the other very quickly and come back into the pace," said Vasseur.

"On the engine, the process is mega long because the lead time of the parts is long and the cost cap is not easy - you have to produce the engine for the season.

"And if you want to start to do the development, you have to produce a new batch of engines.”

[Article continues below]

Ferrari concede ADUO help can't overcome defecit

This year, the FIA introduced the ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) to give those struggling an extra boost to make up the margin.

However, Vasseur insisted that the helping hand from the programme is not enough to get it back on even terms with the benchmark.

“We are not expecting to recover with ADUO 1 or ADUO 2,” he said. “We are doing small steps.

"If you make a small step on the engine, keep in mind that behind us, it was hundredths of a second. 

“In terms of position, even if you make a couple of horsepower, it's a good step on the grid. 

“Now we will have a new engine next year. For sure, the target is to catch up as soon as possible."