Ferrari SF-26 upgrades: why Zandvoort failed to close the gap to Mercedes and McLaren

Luca Marini reports that Ferrari's recent technical updates failed to close the performance deficit to Mercedes and McLaren following a difficult September stretch. Ferrari chose not to run its complete upgrade package at Zandvoort after unconvincing wind-tunnel data, leaving the SF-26 trailing the frontrunners by more than two tenths across recent races in Madrid and Baku.

While telemetry indicates Ferrari's upgraded power unit functioned as planned, driver Lewis Hamilton noted the car frequently starts weekends with a four- to six-tenth deficit. Charles Leclerc expressed hope that upcoming adjustments for the race in Sepang will aid battles against Red Bull and McLaren, though he doubted the changes would suffice to challenge Mercedes.