Ex-Mercedes Engineering Poised to End Ferrari's drought by resolving chronic issue

Ferrari deputy team principal Jerome d'Ambrosio claimed Loic Serra could bring an end to the team's chronic tire wear issue in the 2026 F1 season, making them far more competitive than their current state. He further mentioned that Serra hasn't been completely involved in the SF-25's work.

The Italian team is going through a winless phase this season as both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton continue to struggle with the car's drivability and overall competitiveness. The dominant force this season, McLaren, has mastered their cars' downforce and tire wear issues, which have given it the edge over their competitors. The MCL39 manages to keep its tire temperatures relatively cool, and the lack of tire wear then helps them to extend their stints and capture the maximum grip.

This is an issue that Ferrari has faced for a long time. In the past years, the team has suffered from major tire degradation issues, which have hampered their strategies as the cars lose grip and speed over laps. However, this could finally change in the 2026 F1 season with the new regulations, claims Jerome d'Ambrosio.

He has complete trust in Loic Serra, who joined the team this season and has previously worked for Mercedes. D'Ambrosio mentioned that the team's 2026 car will be Serra's first, and his work on the suspension and surrounding areas could help Ferrari resolve their chronic tire wear issue.

"In the last decade, tyres have been a recurring problem for Ferrari. Loic Serra is a specialist – he doesn’t talk much, but hopefully results will speak," he said (via AutoRacerIT).

"The 678 [2026 car] will be his first car, starting from a revolution in suspension choices. The tyres are different now, and our task is to define the balance and expectations while the project progresses."

There's more to the issues Ferrari has faced than just tire wear, however, considering the changing regulations next year, those issues might be resolved, claims D'Ambrosio.

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Ferrari might not suffer with ride height issues in 2026, hints D'Ambrosio

Lewis Hamilton pits during the 2025 F1 Chinese GP (Getty Images)

A Formula 1 car needs to stick extremely close to the ground in order to achieve better downforce, which maximizes the car's performance on the corners. However, the FIA limits on how close a car can run to the ground. This was the reason Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the 2025 F1 Chinese Grand Prix, owing to the excessive wear on his car's plank.

This plank wear issue has hampered the Scuderia's performance. To stay within the regulations, the team runs its cars with a higher ride height, which diminishes their performance in the corners and slows them down.

However, considering the changes in the cars' floors in the 2026 regulations, Ferrari might overcome this issue, suggests Jerome d'Ambrosio.

"Since 2022, cars are much lower, scraping the ground, and performance is highly sensitive to ride-height variations. Next year, this should matter less," he added.

"They [tyres] have a very narrow operating window too, which explains big gaps between sessions or even teammates. It’s not a problem, but a challenge."

Ferrari currently sits in second place in the Constructors' Championship. However, with no wins and podiums from just one driver, the team is under threat from Mercedes. The latter has been narrowing the gap down from third place in recent races, and might pose a threat to the Italian outfit in the season's final stages.