Friday at Suzuka was a mixed bag for Ferrari. The SF-26 looked more comfortable over race-distance runs than when hunting a quick lap. That is encouraging, but it does not erase the setup problems and the lack of a clean qualifying pace the team would like to have.

Race pace OK, single-lap pace not there yet

The weekend so far suggests the car delivers better with a heavier fuel load. On long runs the Ferrari showed encouraging consistency. On an out-and-out lap, however, the team did not look at its best.

A main talking point is the rise of McLaren. Their MCL40 was notably sharper on a single lap compared with what we saw in China and even pushed into Mercedes territory. It is still only Friday, so nothing is decided, but the single-lap pace from McLaren was clearly improved.

With full tanks the picture was closer. Charles Leclerc appeared more steady than Oscar Piastri over race runs. Overall, Ferrari seems to have not yet found the right balance for the SF-26. There is a persistent oversteer tendency that created trouble on track and, at the end of FP2, one driver said on the radio "I am slow because I have no confidence".

Beating the Mercedes looks unlikely at this stage. A more realistic goal for Ferrari is to remain the best-placed challenger to the W17s and to hold off the improving McLaren.

No Haletta and no Macarena in Suzuka

Ferrari ran only modest updates at Suzuka. Changes included small refinements to the front floor and slightly smaller front brake ducts. The more eye-catching items seen in Shanghai were not present.

  • Haletta: the Halo-mounted solution was not fitted here. The team may try it again after clarifications with the federation, especially about materials.
  • Macarena: the rotating movable wing also stayed back at base. Ferrari plans to keep working on it to improve reliability and behavior, with the aim of bringing it to Miami. At Shanghai it had shown a rear instability caused by a delay in the wing closing sequence between front and rear elements.

Where Ferrari stands

In short, the SF-26 looks like a car that can deliver strong race pace once the balance is right, but it is not yet the clean qualifying package the team needs. There is time to find solutions before qualifying and the race. For now the priority seems to be securing second place behind Mercedes and keeping McLaren behind.

Expect Ferrari engineers to be busy tonight. Suzuka will demand a lot of fine-tuning if the team wants to show its best face in both qualifying and the Grand Prix.