Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur: “That won’t be enough against Mercedes”

Ferrari must make up 72 World Championship points after the summer break to secure its first Constructors’ Championship since 2008. Mercedes leads the Constructors’ Championship with 379 points, ahead of Ferrari on 307.

Fred Vasseur took stock of the situation following the Hungarian Grand Prix. In an interview with his French compatriots at AutoHebdo, the 59-year-old said of the first half of the season: “It’s a bit like a school report: ‘Good, but could have done better.’ “What we’re showing in 2026 is a step forward compared to 2025, because we’re more competitive.”

“The car is pretty good, which wasn’t a given for the first year under new regulations. But Mercedes is still well ahead, at least as far as the engine is concerned. It was to be expected that we’d have a tough year with the power unit. And given the initial deficit, we’re doing quite well. Of course, that’s not enough, because we want to win.”

Ferrari is working on an improved engine version, thanks to the so-called ADUO, which stands for ‘Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities’.

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ADUO is designed to ensure that engine manufacturers who are lagging behind are given a chance to make up the deficit during the season. Manufacturers are granted development leeway if they are at least two per cent behind in terms of the internal combustion engine.

But Vasseur warns against setting expectations too high: “Catching up with Mercedes thanks to ADUO? I’d say: probably not. Being allowed to catch up with the engine will certainly help us. If you look at the Mercedes and Red Bull powertrains, we’re talking about a difference of one or two tenths of a second per lap that comes from the engine.”