Ferrari have just made a key staff focus shift after what happened at Imola that could impact their 2026 F1 car

Ferrari turned around a disastrous qualifying in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with a top-four position for Lewis Hamilton from P12 on the grid.

The team endured a nightmare on the Saturday when both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were knocked out of Q2 in 12th and 11th place, respectively.

Hamilton would go on to pull off a series of overtakes and made use of the mid-race Virtual Safety Car, having extended his first stint, before going on to challenge McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the end.

Leclerc was in a battle with Alex Albon in the closing stages for fifth place and had to give up the position on the last lap, having forced the Williams driver off track. Albon felt he wasted time behind Leclerc, knowing that Piastri was vulnerable on older tyres, while Ferrari appeared to regroup after a difficult Saturday.

Behind the scenes, work is going on to improve their 2025 car after identifying problems, but one decision has been made that might impact their 2026 car according to Motorsport Italy’s Franco Nugnes.

Ferrari have recalled technical staff on the 2026 project to work on the 2025 car

F1 teams have been able to work on their 2026 challengers since January this year, with many teams now switching focus midway through the season.

But in a bid to rescue their 2025 season after a disappointing start, Ferrari have reallocated some of their staff according to Nugnes.

“Ferrari find themselves in difficulty at a time when the technical attention should be focused on the challenge of 2026,” said Nugnes.

“From what I hear, part of the staff who were already dedicated to next year’s car have been recalled to focus on the development of the 2025 car. Vasseur says that on a mechanical level, what is found today can be somehow transferred [to the 2026 car].”

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Charles Leclerc has better grasp on 2025 Ferrari than Lewis Hamilton

Leclerc has the added benefit of having previous experience with the current Ferrari over the last three years compared to Hamilton.

The seven-time world champion has struggled to adapt to the current car in enough time to regularly challenge for podiums and wins, while the team’s strategy can often overlap between drivers.

Rob Smedley believes Leclerc will have the upper hand on Hamilton when it comes to their current car, but that could change in 2026.

Hamilton will be hopeful that much of the developments made on this year’s car will filter through to 2026, as they could find themselves behind their rivals.