Author Archives: PressBox

Ferrari plans to keep pushing its aggressive 2026 development program under Fred Vasseur, who said the team’s top priority for the rest of the season is maintaining its current pace of upgrades and continuing to find gains from the power unit. He described Ferrari’s year as having two phases, with Mercedes ahead before the Spanish Grand Prix and Ferrari responding strongly in the races that followed.

Ferrari’s steady flow of updates has helped deliver wins in Barcelona and Silverstone, and the team entered the summer break second in the constructors’ championship with two victories. Vasseur said Ferrari must keep bringing parts almost every race as it works through the remaining 10 to 12 races, and Charles Leclerc also urged the team to stay aggressive as McLaren closes the gap. Leclerc said there were still 12 races left.

Vasseur said Ferrari still needs to improve execution, chassis development and engine performance, and he expects a second ADUO power-unit upgrade later in the season. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has questioned how Ferrari is staying within the cost cap while continuing its upgrade push.

Audi will not introduce another major Formula 1 power-unit update before the end of the 2026 season, with racing director Allan McNish saying the next significant engine step is planned for 2027 because the team has to manage spending under Formula 1’s budget-cap rules. McNish said the choice reflects budget and resource trade-offs, and that Audi wants to preserve room for future development rather than spend everything at once. The team is also balancing chassis and power-unit work across multiple seasons, and reports said Audi is the first team this season to halt engine updates ahead of the 2027 regulation change.

Audi used one of its two additional development and upgrade opportunities on a small update introduced in Barcelona, where the focus was drivability rather than outright performance. Audi said the changes improved throttle response, torque delivery, shift quality and overall drivability. Nico Hulkenberg said the remaining issues are subtle but still affect throttle response and shifting quality.

The Barcelona update has already helped Audi on track, with Gabriel Bortoleto and Hulkenberg scoring points in three straight races. Those results moved Audi ahead of Williams into eighth place in the constructors’ standings, where it has 12 points. Audi still expects further gains this season, but bigger hardware changes have been held back for 2027 while the team shifts attention toward chassis and aerodynamic development for the R26 and next year’s power-unit regulation changes.

Ayao Komatsu said Haas remains well short of Formula 1’s 2026 budget cap of $215 million, and the team is still trying to secure more funding to close the gap. The cap, introduced in 2021 to narrow the spending divide between larger and smaller teams, excludes driver salaries, the salaries of the sport’s three highest earners and marketing costs. Haas has still not been able to operate at the limit.

Komatsu described Haas as “fighting with both hands tied” because it continues to trail wealthier rivals in headcount and overall finances. He said Haas has about 400 employees, while some competitors have more than 1,000, and argued that the team’s main problem is funding rather than talent. Komatsu said Haas is working on new revenue streams, but that it will take time.

The funding shortfall has affected Haas’s development, Komatsu said, as the team has been outdeveloped after a strong start to the season that put Oliver Bearman and Haas fourth in the standings after two races. Haas has scored no points in its last five grands prix. Komatsu said the team is having open discussions about its struggles and that his priority is to give staff the environment they deserve.