Frédéric Vasseur: Now we must attack.

      Ferrari is one of those teams that switched to preparing for 2026 earlier than most. Formula 1 is moving to next‑generation machinery, and that opens up the widest possible opportunities for the world championship contenders.

      Naturally, Maranello is hoping that the decision made last spring will pay off fully over the coming season. The new car is scheduled to be unveiled on January 23, and the presentation will take place at Fiorano, Ferrari’s factory test track, while the first tests will begin in Barcelona three days later.

      They will be private, and Ferrari has already warned that it will bring the first version of the car — Spec A — to the Catalan circuit, but by the pre‑season tests the next version, closer to the configuration the car will have when it lines up for the Australian Grand Prix, will be ready.

      The team had to pay a price for the decision to stop updating the unsuccessful SF‑25 chassis early, and this is how Frédéric Vasseur, head of the Scuderia, described it in an interview with the championship’s official website:

      “I underestimated the psychological effect that the decision would have on the team, on the drivers, on me,” Vasseur admitted. “Over the last 15 races the car’s aerodynamics were not developed, and it wasn’t easy for us.

      “Yes, there were sound reasons behind that decision — I made it and took full responsibility — and we focused on preparing for 2026. In any case, it has been a difficult season, and on top of that we missed a number of opportunities ourselves because there were crashes and disqualifications, and all of that set us back…

      “I think the team paid a certain price for that. The decision affected people’s emotional state, and I understood that it was unfair to them. Perhaps I was right to react the way I did, saying that if I had to make the decision again I would do exactly the same…

      “But now the team has a positive mindset, everyone is focused on preparing for 2026, and at the same time we must learn all the necessary lessons and understand what we did wrong last season. Clearly, we made mistakes, but there were also positive moments, and now we must try to do a better job.”

      Vasseur fully understands that recovering after a poor season is no easy task. It’s important not only to start the new championship with a sufficiently quick car, but also that its design allows for steady and effective development — and not only in the first season when the new technical regulations come into force.

      It is necessary to spend the available financial resources rationally, to choose both the directions of development and the timing for introducing technical novelties wisely. Of course, during race weekends the whole team must work precisely and cohesively, reacting appropriately to problems as they arise and dealing with them quickly.

      “To be honest, among the positive aspects of last season was the way the whole team reacted to the situation,” Vasseur continued. “The reaction was the right one, and that is good for our future. We place great hopes on 2026 — as do all the other teams.

      “For everyone it is a new challenge; we are starting from scratch and from past experience we know that when major changes occur it is impossible to make any predictions for the Australian Grand Prix. For example, in 2009 no one expected Brawn GP to be so fast that they would win the first race of the season.

      “Now we must concentrate fully on working with the car and with the team, work efficiently in production and not waste energy talking about rivals. We need to attack now, and that will be the case until the end of the year.”