Ferrari targeting 'high risk high reward' strategy with 2026 engines as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc seek to end title drought - Reports

Ferrari is already shifting its focus to the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, as reports suggest the team is preparing an extreme but calculated approach with its next-generation power unit. According to Analisi Tecnica, the Scuderia is taking a “high risk, high reward” path with internal combustion engine development, echoing the philosophy that once brought them both speed and fragility.

The backdrop to this push is Ferrari’s recent disappointment. The Scuderia ended the 2024 season just 14 points shy of McLaren in the constructors’ standings, its closest title challenge since 2008. This year, however, has been much tougher. 16 races in, Ferrari is 280 points adrift of McLaren.

The SF-25 has struggled with braking and inconsistent downforce, leaving both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton searching for answers. With eight races left in 2025, most teams are already looking ahead.

The focus is now on the new ruleset, and the Italian team is betting on a bold engine strategy to return to the top.

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Ferrari’s 2026 engine plan for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton, Frederic Vasseur, and Charles Leclerc ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. Source: Getty

The incoming 2026 rules will radically reshape the grid. Cars will run on 100% sustainable fuels, split power evenly between the internal combustion engine and electric systems. The MGU-H will be removed, electrical deployment will nearly double to 350kW, and the cars will drop around 30kg in weight. DRS will also be replaced by active aerodynamics with movable front and rear wings, while drivers will have a “push-to-pass” battery boost for overtaking.

These changes leave manufacturers with room for innovation, and Ferrari is seizing it. Analisi Tecnica reports that Maranello’s engineers are going all in on the six-cylinder ICE design. The plan is seemingly to extract maximum efficiency and power, even if it comes with reliability risks - similar to Ferrari's 2022 gamble when the E10-fuelled engine proved among the strongest on the grid.

That project delivered performance but also left Charles Leclerc sidelined with mechanical failures until the FIA allowed reliability-based fixes in 2023. Ferrari is ready to follow a similar path again. Cooling systems and radiator cores are rumored to be areas of experimentation, with the team willing to sacrifice conventional safety margins to gain performance.

Lewis Hamilton (44) and Charles Leclerc (16) leave the garage at Hungaroring. Source: Getty

The belief is that reliability issues can be fixed later, while starting with a conservative design risks leaving them behind Mercedes and Red Bull from the outset.

One advantage for Ferrari lies in the FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADOs). From 2026 to 2030, the governing body will track ICE performance across manufacturers. Any supplier falling 3% or more below the benchmark will be allowed extra testing, budget, and upgrade opportunities. Reports suggest Ferrari is positioning itself to exploit this system if its aggressive design creates an early deficit.

Another exemption allows changes if repeated reliability problems occur. This has convinced some within Maranello that pushing boundaries now is worth the risk. History shows it is easier to make a fast but fragile engine reliable than to make a reliable engine faster.

For Ferrari, the gamble reflects desperation to end a drought stretching back to 2008, the year Kimi Räikkönen won the team's last drivers’ crown and the team sealed its last constructors’ title. With Lewis Hamilton in his debut year at Maranello and Leclerc still chasing a first championship, the 2026 reset represents the best chance yet to rewrite that history.

The speculation will end only when the cars hit the track. The first official test of the 2026 challengers begins at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on January 26, followed by two sessions in Bahrain. Until then, Ferrari’s gamble remains just that.