Why Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says Melbourne won’t decide F1 2026 title

The winner of the opening race of the season has gone on to win the championship in three of the last four F1 seasons.

But Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is convinced that Melbourne will not decide the title this season, such is the intense rate of development expected in F1’s all-new active aerodynamic era.

Ferrari team boss: Driver integration will be key in F1 2026

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This season Formula 1 is undergoing its biggest regulatory reset in history with new cars powered by new engines.

Bidding farewell to the ground-effect cars last season, Formula 1 is moving on to cars that incorporate active aerodynamics with movable front and rear wings. The new cars will be 20cm shorter and 30kg lighter than their predecessors and use movable front and rear wings.

As for the changes on the engine side, the power units will run on fully sustainable fuel and have a 50-50 split between electrical and combustion power.

The changes are monumental, not only for the design teams but also the drivers.

The cars will have to be driven differently to their predecessors as the drivers will need to pay attention to the wings, when and how to use them, as well as to engine management and when to use overtake mode or boost.

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The driver, it has been said, will play a bigger role than ever before.

According to Vasseur, the teams can give the drivers the tools, but it will be up to them how to maximise it.

“I think the key for performance will be the good integration between chassis, and for sure, development is key,” the Ferrari team boss told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets at Ferrari’s livery launch.

“Performance of every single area is key but, at the end of the day, the biggest challenge will include the integration of all the systems together – including the drivers, honestly, it will be a full reset for them on their approach.

“It means that they will have to change completely the way that they have to approach the weekend, develop during the weekend, the way of even driving will be probably a bit different.

“It means that this also for them will be a challenge and part of our job will be to give them the good tools to be at their maximum.”

Vasseur added: “It is true that we are all starting from scratch, we are all discovering the challenges.

“I think this is a good feeling, I would say, because that is our job, our DNA to challenge this kind of situation, and drivers are part of the equation. It is a very interesting challenge for us and for the others.”

With several teams, including Ferrari, missing the opening day of testing in Barcelona on Monday, the good news is Vasseur is adamant that whoever wins in Melbourne won’t necessarily dominate the championship.

The Frenchman and his rivals are expecting a telling rate of development this season with teams expected to arrive in Australia with a more basic version of the car that they’ll build on as the season progresses.

“Honestly, it’s far too early about expectation. We are there to work, to develop, to improve. Then we’ll see what is the situation in Melbourne. But it’s a very long way until Melbourne.

“Today, it was an important milestone to put the car on track without any issue.

“This is good, but we have a long way and I think the rate of development will be much higher this season than what you saw last year or the year before.

“It means that nobody knows what will be the situation in couple of weeks, now that we for sure have to do the best to continue to be able to collect data, to develop the car, and to be focused on ourselves, then we’ll see about the performance when we win Melbourne.

“But even Melbourne won’t be the end of the championship. It won’t be the end of the championship that I think will have a huge rate of development.”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch

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