Ferrari trails Mercedes and Audi in 2026 F1 power unit development claims insider

Ex-Ferrari Media and PR advisor Roberto Boccafogli claimed that the Italian team's engine development for the 2026 season was behind the likes of Mercedes and Audi. The sport will introduce new engine regulations from next year, which will see the power unit have a 50-50 split between the internal combustion engine and the electrical energy from the battery pack.

There has been a lot of discussion over the new regulations, with most of the OEMs complaining about the reliability and the energy recovery systems on the engine. According to rumors, Mercedes has an edge over other power unit manufacturers next year, with Honda and Red Bull Power Trains and Audi trailing them.

However, there has not been much chatter regarding Ferrari's progress on the 2026 engines, but while appearing on The Race F1 podcast, Boccafogli, who has worked for Autosprint and Pirelli previously, opined that the Maranello-based outfit was behind the likes of Mercedes and shockingly even Audi, who are seemingly already behind their targets and expressed doubts over their performace for next year, saying:

"I wouldn't be absolutely in Mr Serra's shoes at the moment because the general question is what is Serra doing as is technical director, and it is very, very difficult. There is a big question mark about next year because they're saying that the Mercedes engine and the Audi engine are much better position than the Ferrari. "So there is a lot of wait about everything. That's why from my absolutely personal point of view, I said, at least from the communication side, let's try to do something better to reduce pressure on the team ,not to give more pressure on the team," (1:00:00)

Apart from the Brackley-based outfit, the other OEMs have faced major hurdles in developing the new engines, with Audi and RBPT publicly airing their concerns.

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Ferrari driver comments on his doubts regarding the 2026 season

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton stated that he was hoping to be surprised by the 2026 regulations, as he believed that they were not going in the "right direction." Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sky Italia, the seven-time F1 world champion said:

"I don't think it's going in the right direction, personally. But maybe I'll be surprised next year. Maybe we'll arrive and the cars are really nice. With the direction we're going, we're going slower. The cars are getting heavier. I mean, next year I guess they are getting lighter, but this generation of car is the heaviest car that I've raced in."

The 40-year-old also spoke about a key ingredient missing from modern F1 engines, adding:

"For me, I miss the sound. And when you hear a V12, a Ferrari, it's like, it's the passion."

Many teams have already switched their entire focus to developing the 2026 cars for the new regulations and will not bring any upgrades to the car in the 2025 season.

Edited by Tushhita Barua