Trouble at Ferrari as doubts emerge over the 2026 power unit: Reports

Ferrari was reportedly struck by a tremendous blow as the Prancing Horse lost two important figures ahead of the upcoming new regulations. As per reports, Wolf Zimmermann and Lars Schmidt, who were involved with the 2026 power unit, are parting ways with the Italian team, leaving them vulnerable.

Over the years, Ferrari made its own engines and supplied them to customer teams, and they planned the same for the upcoming seasons. However, months before the upcoming regulations, the team from Maranello faced the shocking exit of Zimmermann and Schmidt, who were the project leader and lead engineer for the performance development.

According to a report by Italian media Autoracer, they were pursued by Mattia Binotto, the former Ferrari boss, who worked with them during his term in the team. It was also reported that the engineer duo will join Audi ahead of the German brand's rebranding of the Sauber F1 team.

Audi will take over and rebrand the Kick Sauber team next year and rename it to Audi. Currently, Jonathan Wheatley, the former Red Bull sporting director, is the team principal of Sauber, and Binotto is working as an advisor.

They are likely to take over and Audi bosses once they rebrand next year. However, the Ferrari's engine department wasn't entirely dependent on the two aforementioned engineers. Enrico Gualtieri is continuing to oversee Ferrari's 2026 Power Unit projects.

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Ferrari set eyes on P2 in 2025 season

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur revealed that they were targeting P2 in the Constructors' Championship in 2025 with a few wins before the end of the season. Speaking about this, here's what Vasseur said prior to the summer break:

Fred Vasseur looks on in the paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome - Source: Getty

"It’s a good step,” he told the official F1 channel. “We had a couple of discussions. There were some rumours in the press, the last couple of weeks. I think it’s not easy for the stability and mood of the team, but now it is behind us.

“It’s important, it’s a good step that we have to be ready for the last part of the season. That we are fighting for P2 in the championship with Mercedes and Red Bull, and we want to win some races before the end," Vasseur further added.

The SF-25s by the Prancing Horse look inferior when compared to the mighty McLaren MCL39s. As a result, targetting the Constructors' Championship like last year seems quite audacious for the team from Maranelllo.

The team from Maranello are currently in P2 in the championship with 280 points. They lead Mercedes by 20 points and Red Bull by 41 points. However, they trail McLaren, the undoubted favorites to win the championship, by 337 points after 16 races and three sprints.