Ferrari has confirmed the name of its 2026 Formula 1 challenger ahead of a season in which the Scuderia must show improvement after a disappointing 2025.
Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari created hype surrounding the team that proved impossible to match during 2025, as the SF-25’s pace rapidly fell away during the season.
Glimpses of hope were seen in the early races, with Hamilton taking victory in the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Race, but this proved to be Ferrari’s only trip to the winner’s circle.
2026 offers a reset, as new technical regulations for car philosophy and power unit kick in, featuring narrower cars and a 50:50 split between electrical power and internal combustion.
With pre-season testing now only a matter of weeks away, Ferrari has confirmed the name of their new challenger it hopes will erase memories of a below-par 2025 performance.
Named the SF-26, the car continues the naming trend of recent years, with both the car and its livery launched at Marenello on January 23rd.
2026 a “crucial year” for Ferrari
“This will be aggressive for sure, because we will finish the assembly of the car the day before the launch,” Team Principal Fred Vasseur said of the new car on social media.
“The launch will be [on] 23 January in Maranello. It means that we’ll finish the car on the 22nd. And this is aggressive, but everybody will do the same.”
Team-mate to Hamilton Charles was bullish when questioned if Ferrari could deliver him a title-challenging car, stating: “I do, and next year will be a crucial year.
“The whole team is hugely motivated for next year, because it’s such a big change, a huge opportunity to show what Ferrari is capable of. It’s now or never, so I really hope that we will start this new era on the right foot, because it’s important for the four years after.”
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