A Ferrari Fan's Hopes For The 2026 F1 Season

Firstly, we need to have a functioning Ferrari that both drivers are comfortable driving. The upcoming final F1 Pre-Season testing sessions in Bahrain should give us a tiny bit more insight into the drivability of the car, but the constant complaints from the drivers last year was frustrating to listen to. Especially Lewis Hamilton’s mood at the mid/tail-end of the season, where he was questioning his entire career and the meaning of life.

However, both drivers clocked in around 200 laps over the course of the first Bahrain testing sessions, and pace-wise we seemed to be in the mix with the McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes cars. Now, I’m not somebody who reads too much into testing, as it often isn’t a reliable indicator on performance, but these first couple of outings seemed positive overall and at least for now, we have avoided any major hiccups.

The Races I Care About This Season

I’m a fan of the Australian Grand Prix, it always reminds me of when I would wake up early as a kid to watch the opening race of the season on non-monthly subscription channels and actually believe Ferrari had a chance of winning. The time zones are very annoying, but hey, it is what it is. For me, I’d like to see both Ferraris in the top six. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, and it’ll be a better start than last year. 

This might get me a lot of hate, but the Monaco Grand Prix is one of my favourite races, and it always has been. Yes, we don’t get a lot of overtakes. However, I like that the qualifying session has extra importance, and the history for the race is hard to match. Of course, getting Charles Leclerc the win around here would be great, but I’m a team player, so get either of the drivers on that top step, and I’m happy.

Lewis Hamilton has to win the British Grand Prix. I can just imagine the scenes, a sea of red and upset Lando Norris fans - you can’t get much better than that! Of course, if Charles wants to win it, that’s fine too. I’m also keen on the next round at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. This is my favourite track, and I’m a Spa winner in the Ligier LMP3 on iRacing, so I’m somewhat of an expert myself. Leclerc got on the podium last year, so if Hamilton wins the British Grand Prix, let's give Charlie-boy the Belgium GP.

With just one Italian Grand Prix in 2026, Ferrari winning at Monza is non-negotiable. We didn’t win either of the two Italian races last year, which is unacceptable. Even if we don’t win any other races this year, we have to win the Italian Grand Prix.

Constructors' Championship Is More Important Than The Drivers' Championship

Listen, once you sign for Ferrari, I instantly love you. I used to dislike Lewis Hamilton, now he’s my joint-favourite driver on the grid. However, for me, the Drivers’ Championship is a nice to have. We need to become a functioning team again, and for that to happen, we need both cars to be competitive and reliable. If we can do those two things, we can win the Constructors' Championship. This is going to be very hard if McLaren are dominant again this season, so realistically, getting second-place at the end of the year would be a step in the right direction. At the very least, we have to be a top-three team again, and we can certainly beat either Mercedes or Red Bull. The RB is basically just Max Verstappen anyway, so if our two drivers can’t beat their one, then I can’t defend that (I will defend it).

Drop a comment below with your hopes for the upcoming season.