The six race run in which concluded the 2024 Formula One season did not quite have the excitement of 2025 where the drivers’ championship was decided at the final chequered flag of the season. Max Verstappen in fact claimed the 2024 title in Las Vegas with two race weekends remaining.
However in terms of the constructors’ championship, the 2024 run in was nail biting for McLaren who once held a 74 point lead over Ferrari as the sport embarked on its final two triple header six races.
Two wins together with six podiums from Austin to Abu Dhabi saw the Scuderia come within just 14 points of their first championship since 2008. Yet at the annual Ferrari festive bash, Fred Vasseur announced that their 2025 F1 challenger would be an entirely new car.
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This was confusing for a number of reasons. Firstly the SF-24 finished the year the strongest, but the Scuderia designed a car for 2025 that was “99% new components.” The team switched their tried and tested front suspension from its push rod configuration to a pull rod design.
But this was the final year of a set of car design technical regulations and the remainder of the field were refining their 2024 challenger. The result? The decision was proven to be a huge mistake, as the Scuderia failed to win a single Grand Prix and claimed just seven podiums all thanks to Charles Leclerc.
Now La Gazzetta in Italy is reporting Ferrari have design two cars for 2026, one for early testing and the other for the opening round of the season in Australia. Of course teams historically have launched a car for testing and then refined it significantly before it first races in anger, but two cars to start the year?
Yet building two different cars before the tyre turns in anger seems a strange approach, yet the madness of Maranello means nothing can be ruled out from the mercurial F1 racers. “Fred Vasseur’s team will present itself to the pre-seasonal tests with different versions of the same car, to best test solutions and set-ups,” reports La Gazetta.
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“2 cars are ready” in Maranello
”The new Ferrari that we will see at the presentation on January 23 and that will take place the first test session scheduled, behind closed doors, in Barcelona, will differ profoundly from the one that will then take to the track in Melbourne for the first GP of the year,” the media outlet states. “Two cars are ready,” is the headline.
The teams at the pre-season Barcelona test are restricted to running on just three of the five allocated days. Most will opt to take to the circuit on day one, which allows them time to correct any significant unforeseen issues. The report claims the first of the two designs will mostly be just for the Barcelona test to verify the functionality of the packaging and fluid dynamics solutions.
The biggest concern in Maranello is to understand the energy management aspects of the new car and so performance will not be the key driver in Montmelo. The car used will be in its standard but basic form but at the next two tests in Bahrain, the car will run with its full complement of aerodynamics. Ferrari believe the nose design is crucial for the entire package and Bahrain will be the first time we see the real design Ferrari have settled on.
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The nose design and subsequent in wash airflows will deliver much of the cooling required for Ferrari’s new car and so in Barcelona much larger side pods will be on display than the miniaturised versions planned for the ‘real’ car. The smaller version will allow for a more tapered rear end coke bottle which should improve downforce and stability at the rear end.
Ferrari have ditched their experiment with push rod front suspension and are returning to their more tradition pull rod – front and rear. This is due to the packaging requirements and the “different positioning of the internal elements of the suspension allows an accentuated lower taper of the frame and a reduced section of the nose, as well as a narrower body around the rear axle, to ensure an adequate volume of air is sent to the diffuser at the rear,” says La Gazetta.
Reading between the lines, Ferrari have not produced two conflicting car designs for the 2026 campaign, but a basic mule type version of their final design, which will be used in Barcelona to shake down other elements of the package.
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Spec A and Spec B cars
Yet the negative PR of the “2 car design” is just another example of how the Italian team fails to manage the demands of the national media’s thirst for information over how their winter programme is progressing. Lewis Hamilton may be pleased were there actually to be a two car design programme happening behind the scenes, given his significant input into how Ferrari should go about delivering their car for the new era of F1 racing.
In conclusion the reality is that Maranello will field a “Spec A” testing version of their planned new car which is a basic concept allowing the team to focus on the reliability of their power unit and gathering fundamental data around the complexities of the new advanced moveable aerodynamics.
“Spec B,” the race version is a more complex affair and will be introduced gradually as the team become confident in the performance of the components being tested on the mule version. It may be the full B spec car is not even introduced in Melbourne, which is something of an outlier circuit and whilst this approach is inherently risky it does offer a building block type approach to analysing how the various components individually affect the performance of the car.
In Formula One teams usually design and test the car they believe is the best design, then they evolve the car with incremental upgrades. Ferrari have designed the car they believe to their final offering, but then also developed a mule version of this machine to begin the lengthy pre-season testing.
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The expected chaos at the up coming Barcelona test has F1 fans and analysts salivating. Despite reports suggesting one team may have an advantage over the field, the reality is nobody knows which powertrain and which chassis interpretation of the new rules will come out on top.
What is almost certain is reliability will become an issue again for the teams as they make this huge leap into the unknown. The FIA is still refining the rules for how the new overtake button will be deployed and there will still be DRS style zones where the incremental electrical energy may deployed along the straights.
Nobody really understands how well the newly allowed moveable front and rear wings will work out and which lubricant supplier has designed the most efficient bio fuel. Having watched and been involved in F1 for over forty five years, this writer cannot remember a previous era where everything for the coming season is so uncertain…. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
