Ferrari: Has Lewis Hamilton’s demand been met? Will they catch up with Mercedes at Monza?

For Ferrari, Monza is not just any race; Monza is a must-win – the loyal Tifosi demand nothing less.

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has repeatedly stated: “We have a really good car, but we’re losing too much time to Mercedes on the straights. Our weakness is the engine; we urgently need to step it up there.”

At Zandvoort, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur also said: “Our pace in the races is often encouraging. But we usually start too far back on the grid. If our qualifying positions are better, then we automatically perform better in the Grands Prix as well.”

All this should now be possible at Monza: to close the gap on leaders Mercedes even on high-power circuits such as Monza, the historic Maranello-based team is making use of the so-called ADUO for the second time this season.

ADUO stands for ‘Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities’. These are designed to ensure that engine manufacturers who are lagging behind have a chance to make up the deficit during the season. Manufacturers are granted ADUO if they trail by at least 2 per cent in terms of internal combustion engine performance.

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Ferrari row with Hamilton and Leclerc: Team principal Vasseur must now step up

Ferrari came away empty-handed at the Dutch Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, Charles Leclerc fifth. Afterwards, both drivers were angry, and team principal Fred Vasseur found himself having to explain the situation.

Mathias Brunner

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Monza: 1. Freies Training

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04.09.2026 - 12:15

Ferrari deployed an improved version of the power unit at the Austrian Grand Prix, and the second phase of this development work is now set to follow at Monza.

In Italy, speculation is rife regarding the increase in power; some speak of 15 PS, others of more than 20.

Qualifying for the traditional Italian Grand Prix in the Royal Park of Monza will reveal just how much Ferrari’s head of racing engines, Enrico Gualtieri, and his colleagues have been able to extract from the power unit.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur: “I don’t want to make empty promises to the fans, but the improved engine should allow us to further reduce the gap to Mercedes.”