At the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Ferrari’s straight-line speed and power-unit weakness — particularly the SF‑26’s lack of pace down the straights — were laid bare, drivers and team figures said. Charles Leclerc called the power unit “maybe our main weakness at the moment,” and Lewis Hamilton described a “really confusing” loss of power that left him struggling to defend and ultimately finish sixth. Team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged a clear straight-line deficit and said the team must investigate whether it stems from engine power, timing/strategy or overtake-mode deployment; he and others pointed to Suzuka’s long straights as having exposed the problem.

The on-track consequences were immediate. Leclerc recovered from early Safety Car misfortune and an early pit stop that left him in traffic to fight back past teammates and rivals and secure third, but said he had to manage his tires carefully and that the Safety Car had hurt the team’s strategy. Hamilton briefly gained places by pitting under the Safety Car but slipped from a podium position as he struggled to extract performance from the SF‑26 and lost places to rivals; he suspected his engine was down because others had more straight-line speed despite running the same car. Vasseur noted Hamilton had dropped out of “overtake mode,” which removed an overtake boost and contributed to the drop-off.

Ferrari plans to use the upcoming month-long break to analyze the car and seek performance improvements before Miami, focusing on the power unit and straight-line performance while also advancing tires, aero and chassis work. Leclerc warned upgrades might not arrive in time for Miami, and reports from Suzuka prompted a renewed push to close the gap — the team opened the season clearly second behind Mercedes and appeared to lose ground to McLaren — even as Leclerc’s podiums provided a morale boost and Vasseur praised the driver’s racecraft in what he called one of the season’s most entertaining races.

Sources