FERRARI ALERT: FRED VASSEUR ABANDONS TWENTY-TWENTY-FIVE TO FIX ENGINE FOR TWENTY-TWENTY-SIX RULES
Fred Vasseur admits Ferrari’s 2025 was a failure. With Lewis Hamilton scoreless on podiums, all eyes are on the 2026 engine reset.
Team boss Fred Vasseur says Ferrari's 2025 season wasn't good after neither Charles Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton won a single race.
Vasseur thought 2025 might be the year Ferrari finally brought the F1 title back home, after what feels like forever. They haven't won the driver's title since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, and their last constructor's title was in 2008.
Vasseur felt good because Ferrari ended the 2024 season just 14 points away from winning their 17th constructors' title. But he soon knew how far behind McLaren they were, and he gave up in April to concentrate on the 2026 rules.
Vasseur stopped developing the 2025 car in April to put wind tunnel time into the new rules instead of aero upgrades. But this choice led to Hamilton's worst season in his 19-year career, during his first year with Ferrari.
Fred Vasseur keeps telling Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton that 'everything' is new for 2026. Hamilton didn't even get a single podium, which hasn't happened before in his career. The 40-year-old also scored his fewest points since F1 started the current scoring system in 2010, ending up with only 156 points and sixth place.
Leclerc only got 242 points, finishing fifth, marking his fourth season without a win in seven years with Ferrari. But though Vasseur admits 2025 wasn't good, he keeps saying that everything will be different in 2026.
"The message at the end of the year, and I think we agree on this, is that we all know the season wasn't good," Vasseur told Sky Italy.
We've had time to talk about why. But the thing is, 2026 is going to be totally different. New chassis, engine, battery, fuel, and tyres—everything's new.
Ferrari had a rough time in 2025 after changing their suspension for the SF-25, which caused ride height problems all year. So, they're going back to push-rod suspension on both ends for 2026, admitting that switching to pull-rods was a mistake.
But the biggest change in the 2026 rules is expected to be the engine rules, which will increase the electrical part of the power from 20% to 50%. F1 is also getting rid of the MGU-H and switching to 100% sustainable fuels.
Many people think Mercedes will have the best engine for 2026, which could see them back at the front. But, there are worries about Ferrari's engine for 2026, and they're rushing to fix things.
Now, people are saying that Ferrari is worried Mercedes has found something in the 2026 engine rules that could let them burn fuel faster. Audi and Honda also have the same worry.
THE 2026 ULTIMATUM: WHY NEXT SEASON IS "MAKE OR BREAK" FOR LEWIS HAMILTON
After a winless 2025 debut, Lewis Hamilton faces a pivotal year. See why Steiner believes the 7x champ is nearing the F1 exit.
Guenther Steiner, who used to run the Haas team, thinks Lewis Hamilton might quit Formula 1 if Ferrari can't get to the top of the Driver's Championship by 2026—he thinks that season will be super important for the racing star.
Hamilton had a tough first year with Ferrari, ending up sixth in the F1 rankings with 156 points.
That was 86 points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and he didn't even get on the podium once, which is a first for him in a full season.
He often said he was bummed out about how his Ferrari debut was going.
Back in November, after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports, I feel awful. This has been the worst season ever, and it just keeps getting worse no matter how hard I try. I'm trying everything I can, both in and out of the car.
Hamilton looked pretty sad a lot during the season because he couldn't really fight for race wins.
Steiner told Sports Krone, I think if Ferrari has a good car next season, Hamilton might be able to turn things around. If they are more competitive, Lewis might find his drive again. But if things stay the same, next season will probably be his last in Formula 1. He's not going to go through that again. The situation is tough for him, and you could see that in every interview. So, the next season will be key for him.
What's Hamilton saying about quitting?
When the media asks Hamilton about his F1 future, he doesn't want to talk about retiring.
At the end of the season, when someone asked him what he would say to those who think he might retire soon, the 40-year-old said, I wouldn't say anything to them. None of them have done what I've done, so they don't know anything more than I do.
Last summer, after some rumors that he might leave early, Hamilton said he's staying at Ferrari until his contract is up.
He said, For those writing stories about me thinking about not racing, I've just started here with Ferrari. I've been here for a few years, and I'm in it for the long run, so there's no question about what I'm focused on achieving with this team. There are zero doubts, so please stop making stuff up.
In 2026, everyone will still be wondering about Hamilton's future in F1, mainly if Ferrari keeps struggling with the new rules. And if Steiner is right, another year of not competing for a championship could be the end for him.
MAX VERSTAPPEN NAMED PEER-VOTED DRIVER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON
Max Verstappen wins his 5th straight F1 peer award, beating champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton drops out of the top 10 for the first time.
Max Verstappen copped his fifth straight driver-of-the-year award in Formula 1's secret peer vote, even though he almost grabbed a fifth title in 2025 but didn't quite make it.
The drivers all voted in secret, except for four guys. The Red Bull driver beat out Lando Norris, who just won the world championship, for the number one spot.
The voting worked like the normal F1 points system. Drivers ranked their top 10 rivals. Verstappen got 25 points from six votes to win.
Norris, who won his first championship after a crazy season, came in second in the driver rankings for the second year running.
The McLaren driver won the title after fighting off pressure from Verstappen and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, all season long.
George Russell took third, moving up one spot from last year. The Mercedes driver had a killer season with two wins and seven more podiums.
Piastri was fourth, up one spot, even though his championship hopes fizzled out near the end. The Aussie was leading by 34 points at one point before his performance dropped off.
Charles Leclerc finished fifth, down two spots, even though he got everything he could out of Ferrari's SF-25. The Monegasque driver had seven podiums during a tough season that saw Ferrari finish fourth.
Carlos Sainz held onto sixth after a great comeback at Williams. After a rough start, the Spaniard grabbed two podiums in a strong second half of the season.
Fernando Alonso jumped two spots to seventh, and the two-time world champion had some crazy drives in Aston Martin's AMR25.
Alex Albon took eighth after his best season with Williams, while rookies Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, getting props for their awesome first seasons.
Pierre Gasly almost made the list, even with 10 Q3 appearances in Alpine's tricky A525.
Lewis Hamilton, who's won seven world championships, didn't show up in the rankings, which is a first since they started doing this poll. It shows how rough his first season at Ferrari was.
The four drivers who skipped the vote were Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda.