Ferrari is dangerously close to another dark period in its F1 journey

When it comes to failing to live up to expectations, Ferrari took the honors in 2025. The team fought for the title in 2024 against McLaren, and the battle went to the last race of the season.

For 2025, the expectations were that the team would continue to have that momentum and, with Lewis Hamilton onboard, challenge for the title. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The 2026 F1 season, however, is the one where all the focus is right now. For the sport's most iconic team, the year could potentially be the beginning of another dark period.

High likelihood that the Ferrari PU might not be the best

Ferrari is in F1 to win championships. That's the foundational reason for the team to compete in the sport. Unfortunately, it has not done so since 2008, when it last won a title.

For the 2026 season, there's a new set of regulations that includes a completely new power unit. The last time we had a brand new power unit, the Italian team messed up and was too far behind Mercedes.

It took Ferrari years to get back to a point where it could start competing at the front. It isn't very smart to assume that the history is going to repeat itself. At the same time, all reports point to Mercedes once again nailing the power unit regulations.

If that is the case and the Italian team is once again behind when it comes to the power unit, that might be it for the 2026 F1 season and potentially fighting for the title. At the same time, it also triggers a chain reaction for the team that might not have the best outcome.

Charles Leclerc would not stick around if the car isn't contending for the title

Charles Leclerc is already on the edge when it comes to having any kind of patience in the Ferrari project. Ever since he debuted in 2019 for the team, the driver has given his heart and soul to the project.

He's spent almost the entirety of his 20s racing for Ferrari, and the sad part in all of this has been the lack of success. Charles Leclerc is yet to fight for a title with this team, and 2026 will be his 8th season at Maranello.

Even 2025 showed that Charles Leclerc's faith in Ferrari was starting to crack. For 2026, if the car is not there, it will not come as a surprise to the team that the driver leaves at the end of the season.

The Fred Vasseur leadership needs a title-contending package

The 2025 F1 season has been the lowest point of Fred Vasseur's leadership at Ferrari. After taking over in 2023, this was the first time that the Frenchman's leadership showed serious cracks.

In 2023, Ferrari was the only team other than Red Bull that won a race. In 2024, the team took the title battle to the wire. The 2025 F1 season was supposed to be the one where they fight for the title. Unfortunately, the season results had the team not even winning a single race and having its worst championship finish of the ground effect era.

There were already rumors of the senior management not being happy with Fred Vasseur and his inability to win with Ferrari. If the 2026 package is not in a good place, we might be looking at the end of Fred Vasseur's stay with the team.

Conclusion

Ferrari is facing an uncertain future in 2026, where not only does it appear that the team is not well placed to succeed in the new era, but it also appears that the trigger-happy nature of the management could potentially lead to the all-too-familiar leadership overhaul.

With one driver who is already past 40 years of age and showing signs of slowing down, the other starting to lose patience with the squad, and a team boss who is on a short leash, the 2026 F1 season might not be the best one for the team.

It could be looking at a year where Charles Leclerc, Fred Vasseur, and potentially even Lewis Hamilton are out of the team, and it's all about starting from scratch once again. The Italian team has not won anything since 2008, and it might be on the precipice of another 'rebuild'.

Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli