Nico Rosberg pointed to strategy and communication as the main problems of Ferrari, after another difficult weekend in the 2026 Formula 1 season. For the former driver and 2016 champion in the category, the Italian team still cannot turn the pace shown by the SF-26 into consistent results.
Read more NASCAR Brazil: Galid Osman wants to repeat 2025 victory in Curvelo
The Spanish GP ended without a podium for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton retired on the seventh lap due to a brake system failure, while Charles Leclerc finished fourth, after staying on track with a different strategy and leading 32 of the 57 laps in Madrid.
In a participation on the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast, Rosberg stated that Ferrari’s difficulty in this area remains evident: “The ‘Achilles’ heel’ is still in the area of strategy, in the area of communication, which has always been a weakness of theirs and still is a weakness now,” he said.
Rosberg also highlighted that, at least in his opinion, the car’s performance is close to what is needed to regularly fight for wins. Rosberg stated that Hamilton would have finished second in Spain if he had not retired, adding that the Briton could have reached that position with relative ease.
Read more F1: Brundle says VSC in Madrid gave Norris a «feeling of robbery» and offers a solution
“The car’s pace is very close to being able to consistently fight for wins. They are very close, they just aren’t managing to put everything together the right way, and they need to somehow advance on that. That is the main problem they are facing,” he added.
Hamilton assessed that Ferrari had a car capable of fighting for victory in Spain, while Leclerc defended the strategy adopted by the team. The Monegasque, however, acknowledged that Ferrari has been facing difficulties on Saturday and explained that the SF-26 has been relatively more competitive in race conditions.
“Generally, our car is a bit weaker in qualifying than in the race with less fuel,” Leclerc explained. According to the driver, Ferrari ended up ‘paying the price’ for this characteristic over the weekend in Madrid, especially given the strength shown by McLaren in the sections where it was necessary to attack the curbs.
Read more F1: Aston Martin fears Alonso’s departure at the end of the current season
