By: Formula 1 fans watched Andrea Kimi Antonelli take another victory at the Madring, his eighth of the season. On the surface, everything appears to be unfolding as expected, in keeping with the pattern established by the 2026 season. Yet… there are signs that must not be overlooked, warning bells that could easily be ignored.
McLaren secured their third pole position of the season, all of them coming at circuits suited to the car, making the MCL40 a benchmark in that respect. Naturally, the papaya team are still a long way from being able to challenge Mercedes consistently, but they have taken a step forward. One came from the engineers, through the right upgrades; the other came from Lando Norris, who, just like Antonelli, has understood the rules of the game (read here).
Ferrari cannot keep pace
The Woking team are the only outfit, aside from the Stuttgart-based squad, to show any kind of consistency. Had Lando Norris also managed to win at the Madring – and without the VSC, he would have done so – all of his victories would have been more than deserved. The same cannot be said of Ferrari's wins (Hamilton in Spain and Leclerc at Silverstone), both of which came in circumstances that favoured the SF-26.
While the papaya team are celebrating the progress they are making from race to race, Ferrari are unable to match the pace of their rivals. With Mercedes the benchmark at high-speed circuits and McLaren the established reference at slower, more technical venues, the Prancing Horse risk losing even the status of second-best team that they seemed to have firmly in their grasp at the start of the season.
Only 52 points separate Ferrari from McLaren, while the shadow of Lando Norris has grown ever larger and more threatening behind Hamilton (Lewis' advantage over his British compatriot has fallen to five points).
Ferrari are inexorably heading towards a difficult end to the season
Ferrari, both as a team and as a group of supporters, are heading towards an unexpected end to the season, one that will probably change not only the fate of this championship but also those to come. McLaren look like the team we already saw in 2023/2024, while the Maranello outfit, despite showing good things in the opening months of 2026, have failed to take off. They have not understood the potential the SF-26 has to offer, nor do they appear to be making the most of what they do know.
Too often, we have heard Frédéric Vasseur searching for excuses or justifications for performances that were unexpected even for the team. And while Maranello are still trying to find answers to their off days, Mercedes and McLaren are making progress. Improvements that translate into points and will probably lead the historic Scuderia into a difficult end to the season.
Hopefully without repercussions for next year's championship.
Photo: Ferrari
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