Ferrari has arrived in Austin with what should be its last Formula 1 car update of 2026.
๐ The Core Development
From what we can see, itโs not a massive change - just small changes to the details in various areas, but as I often say, they all add up.
To be honest, Ferrari has not been that far behind as far as performance is concerned. It's been points lost through execution and decision-making. I know that Lewis Hamilton put his hand up as to not pitting under the VSC in Singapore, for instance, but thatโs just one example of Ferrari's indecisions costing it.
๐ Background & Sector Context
Without doubt, Hamilton has lots of experience when it comes to making pit calls - some good, some bad - but my concern with the driver overruling the team is that for any driver, they only have their own information, and at most that of the cars in front and behind them, as to what the tyre situation is. The team has - or at least should have - the information from all of the cars still running, so a much broader picture of what is happening, so it should be able to make a better decision.
I say 'should' here because I have no idea if Ferrari looks any further than its own cars and also there seems to be a bit of a reluctance for anyone to put their heads above the parapet. If you donโt make decisions, you can never be held responsible for making the wrong decision.
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
Ferrari has also thrown away quite a few points by not allowing whatever driver is fastest to just press on - again, that falls into the reactiveness of decision making.
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
Anyway, thatโs my moan for today - onto the developments. As I said, from what I can see, it is small detail changes.
The purple fin separating the radiator intake from the coke bottle undercut seems to have increased in size slightly. As the car speed increases, the radiator will not be able to flow the volume of air that is presented to it - when this happens, the inlet duct will start to spill around the outer body surface. This fin will reduce the adverse effect this spillage would have on the undercut sidepod.
