Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has declared his outfit will arrive at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid determined to bounce back from what he described as a significant setback at their home race in Monza.
The Scuderia faced considerable pressure heading into the Italian Grand Prix after both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc demonstrated competitive pace during Friday's practice sessions. However, qualifying proved troublesome, with neither driver securing a front-row grid position, and Sunday's race unfolded into a frustrating afternoon for the Maranello squad.
Hamilton's race fell apart early when he made contact with Leclerc at the opening chicane, sliding through the gravel at Turn 2 in an incident that left the British driver visibly frustrated. The Ferrari driver from Monaco suffered an even more dramatic setback, crashing heavily on lap three in a collision that caused substantial damage to his car and left him dealing with initial eye discomfort following the impact.
Despite climbing to third place at one stage, Hamilton ultimately lacked the outright performance to challenge for victory and crossed the line in sixth position, trailing both Mercedes entries, Max Verstappen's Red Bull, and the McLaren pair.
We will come to Madrid with all the energy that we need to do a good result. It's true that Monza, for us, even if I spend the week to say that it's a normal race, it's not, as you can imagine. With all the Tifosi, we were expecting to give them something else as a big thank you for the support and the enthusiasm that they have. We all have the feeling to have failed something, but be sure that we will come back much stronger.
Vasseur acknowledged the emotional weight of the home-race disappointment, particularly given Ferrari's desire to reward their passionate supporters with a strong showing. Yet he struck a defiant tone about the team's prospects moving forward, signalling that the setback would galvanise rather than demoralise the squad.
Engine deficit remains Ferrari's core challenge
The Italian team introduced their second and final engine upgrade of the season at Monza but continued to suffer a significant straight-line speed disadvantage compared to Mercedes-powered competitors. According to Sky Italia's reporting, Vasseur acknowledged that Ferrari were losing positions in the race because they could not defend or attack effectively on the straights.
Straight-line performance has emerged as Ferrari's most persistent weakness throughout the season, a problem that should prove less punishing around the twisty layout of the new Madrid circuit. Vasseur made clear he harboured no illusions about closing the power-unit gap to Mercedes in the near term.
When you have a lack of pure power, then you start to play with deployment, to try to compensate in the straight line. But if you deploy more somewhere, for sure you will deploy less somewhere else. Then you are going in the wrong spiral to try to play with this when you are fighting. Honestly, it's not about deployment. Even McLaren, they were playing a little bit Friday and Saturday morning. In the end, we are missing pure power.
Ferrari's engine development allowance stems from an earlier assessment under the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) review process. The Scuderia were determined to be more than four per cent behind benchmark engine manufacturer Red Bull, a shortfall that permitted them to construct two engine upgrades this season and also for 2027, when they will introduce a completely new power unit.
Vasseur outlined the fundamental constraints that govern engine development in Formula 1, explaining why incremental improvements take considerably longer to deliver than chassis refinements.
The process of the engine is mega long. The chassis you can make an upgrade from one day to the other very quickly and come back into the pace. On the engine, the process is mega long because the lead time of the parts is long and the cost cap is not easy - you have to produce the engine for the season. And if you want to start to do the development, you have to produce a new batch of engines. We are not expecting to recover with ADUO 1 or ADUO 2. We are doing small steps. If you make a small step on the engine, keep in mind that behind us, it was hundredths of a second. In terms of position, even if you make a couple of horsepower, it's a good step on the grid. Now we will have a new engine next year. For sure, the target is to catch up as soon as possible.
According to Italian motorsport reporting, Vasseur indicated that circuits such as Madrid, Sepang and Baku should present a markedly different challenge for Ferrari, given their reduced reliance on straight-line performance compared to Monza's high-speed layout.
Madrid offers a fresh opportunity
The Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, scheduled for 24–26 September according to Ferrari's official race calendar, represents Ferrari's next major target just over two weeks after the Monza disappointment. The new Madring circuit's technical character should suit the Scuderia's current package considerably better than the Italian venue's power-dependent nature.
Ferrari have already conducted preparation work at the Madrid facility, having completed a filming day at the circuit earlier in the summer to gather data and familiarise themselves with the new venue.
What to watch this weekend
Sky Sports F1 will provide comprehensive coverage of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, with live transmission of every session from Friday onwards.
Friday 11 September: Practice One begins at 11:30am, with Practice Two starting at 3pm. The drivers' press conference takes place at 2:40pm.
Saturday 12 September: Practice Three commences at 11:30am, with qualifying beginning at 3pm. Ted's Qualifying Notebook follows at 6pm.
Sunday 13 September: Grand Prix Sunday build-up starts at 12:30pm, with the race itself scheduled for 2pm. Chequered Flag reaction coverage begins at 4pm, followed by Ted's Notebook at 5pm.
