Ferrari’s new power unit hasn’t managed to replicate the high-rev technique Max Verstappen showed off at the start of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
As F1 prepares for a major shift in 2026, there’s been plenty of talk about the various power units. Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Audi and Honda have all come under scrutiny for one reason or another.
Ferrari seem to have gone with a smaller turbo than their competitors after noticing how the new hybrid units could cause problems with race starts.
Mercedes may soon lose their compression trick, and Honda’s engine appears to be lagging well behind the rest.
The new battery element adds an extra layer of complexity, too. It has to be recharged during each lap.
Verstappen was quick to demonstrate that shifting down into first gear through slower corners could be an effective way to boost battery recovery.
But Scott Mitchell-Malm has noticed that Ferrari-powered teams aren’t having much luck pulling off this trick themselves.
Ferrari’s 2026 F1 car doesn’t like the high-rev downshift to first gear
Speaking on The Race F1 Podcast, Mitchell-Malm said: “One of the reasons why I’d really like it if it turns out this week that Ferrari’s right up there is it’ll be quite cool to see something with a definite anomaly in the design doing well.
“One thing from trackside and checking the data is that the Ferraris just do not go near first gear in the way that the other engine manufacturers do.
“And that seems to be because they’ve gone for this smaller turbo design, which should help them on the race starts. If the race starts end up with this slight rush to get everything spun up on the turbo to pull away, but it means that they basically, whether it’s gear ratio and turbo, I’m not entirely sure, but that car definitely rejects the second to first downshift in a way that others don’t.
“You can hear it because Leclerc tried it once when I was trackside. Ollie Bearman tried it once in the Haas when I was trackside, and it reacted really badly, and they didn’t really try it again.
“So if they’ve got an engine that does work a little bit differently, it might be just different ways of achieving exactly the same end result.
“That would just be quite fascinating because there’s just not really much technical divergence in F1 on that kind of level anymore.”
Ferrari working to integrate first gear downshift after adding new components
Data from Wednesday’s testing session showed Leclerc experimenting with the move once again, dropping into first gear during three of his first four faster laps, specifically in turns one, four and ten.
This indicates that Ferrari are actively working to adjust the power unit in order to optimise the car’s energy regeneration system.
The question now is whether the car will give Hamilton and Leclerc what they need to put together a serious title push.
Ferrari have already introduced new components in Bahrain that they believe other teams can’t easily replicate. Keeping pace with what others are doing early on could pay dividends as the season progresses.
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