Ferrari had a rough 2025 season with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, but the 2026 F1 regulations give them a real opportunity to reset and start over.
The 2026 season will bring significant changes to the sport, including new rules for engines, tyres, chassis, and aerodynamics. Ferrari will be among the five power unit suppliers next year, providing engines not only for their own team but also for Haas and the newly entered Cadillac team.
Drivers from all three teams will be hoping that Ferrari’s engine is up to the mark since power units are expected to play a huge role in performance differences under the new rules. F1 is moving towards a 50/50 split between electrical and combustion power, along with the introduction of sustainable fuels.
Leclerc went another season without a win in 2025, marking his fourth winless year out of seven with Ferrari. Hamilton also struggled in his first year with the team, failing to reach a single podium for the first time in his 19-year career after joining from Mercedes.
Ferrari needs to step up across the board in 2026 to keep Leclerc and Hamilton
Leclerc’s 242 points and Hamilton’s 156 for fifth and sixth in the drivers’ standings only managed to secure Ferrari fourth in the constructors’ championship. James Hinchcliffe didn’t hold back, saying Ferrari are clearly the team that needs to improve most heading into 2026.
Hinchcliffe can even imagine a “very different-looking” Ferrari by 2027 if the Scuderia’s car for the 2026 regulations is not competitive. Leclerc can break his contract and leave Ferrari in 2026 if they are not title contenders, and Hamilton is already now drawing calls to retire.
“Ferrari. No two ways about it,” Hinchcliffe told the F1 website. “Charles Leclerc did his part to salvage the odd result, but the car and the team need to be better next season.
“Lewis Hamilton’s season was tough to watch, and much work needs to be done internally to get the seven-time champ to a place where he can perform at his best.
“The odd time the car was to his liking, we saw flashes of old Lewis. But from top to bottom, big leaps are needed.
“[The] 2026 [season] offers a huge opportunity for the Scuderia. But should they fall short of expectations, I would imagine a very different-looking Ferrari by 2027.”
Charles Leclerc has only won 8 of his 150 Grand Prix starts for Ferrari since 2019
Leclerc replaced Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari in 2019 and picked up two wins in his debut season with the team. But since then, he has only managed six more victories from his next 129 races, three of which came in 2022 and another three in 2024.
Other teams are starting to monitor Leclerc’s situation closely as the 2027 season approaches. His only real title push came back in 2022, and another disappointing year could push him to look elsewhere.
Leclerc is signed through until 2029, while Hamilton’s deal runs to at least the end of the decade. But after a tough first year with Ferrari in 2025, Hamilton may decide not to stick around if things don’t improve quickly under the new regulations.
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