Piero Ferrari not predicting title despite ‘favourite’ talk

Mar.4 (GMM) Ferrari heir Piero Ferrari has refused to predict a championship breakthrough for the famous Italian team despite growing talk that the Maranello outfit could finally return to the top in 2026.

Ferrari has not won a drivers’ title since 2007, or a constructors’ championship since 2008, but strong winter testing form has placed the team among the early favourites alongside Mercedes.

However, Piero Ferrari is refusing to be drawn.

“Let’s keep trying with all our might,” he told Corriere dello Sport. “But with the new regulations, don’t ask me for a prediction.”

Much of Ferrari’s long-term optimism still centres on Charles Leclerc – whose patience with the Maranello based team may be waning.

“Yes, he’s a very fast driver,” Ferrari said. “His comparisons with teammates have shown this. He extracts performance from any car at any time.

“For me, he’s a given. All we need now is the satisfaction of seeing him become world champion, because he deserves it.”

The situation with Lewis Hamilton has been more complicated.

Hamilton’s first Ferrari season in 2025 was disappointing, prompting inevitable comparisons with previous champions who struggled after arriving in red.

“Yes, I think Ferrari emotionally moves something even in great champions,” Ferrari admitted. “Lewis is profoundly different from Charles, but I struggle to say whether he’s been overshadowed by the legend of the Prancing Horse.”

Ferrari also left the door open to a future Italian driver.

“It’s not forbidden to dream,” he said when asked about Kimi Antonelli potentially driving for Ferrari one day.

“Antonelli has already proven he deserves top-flight cars. With a little experience, he will certainly become a great driver.”

Meanwhile Hamilton himself admitted winter testing offered few clues about the true competitive order.

“The tests revealed little,” the seven time world champion told Corriere della Sera. “Everyone was hiding with fuel loads.

“I even called Toto Wolff and Zak Brown to try to understand what they understood – but I didn’t get any results,” he smiled.

Piero Ferrari also defended the controversial new 2026 technical rules, which have been criticised by some drivers including Max Verstappen.

“Testing has shown these cars require understanding,” he said. “You need to know how to manage energy, but they are more predictable than the ground-effect cars.

“My father would have said ‘They’re more honest’. Personally, I’m convinced the show won’t suffer – on the contrary.”

Ferrari’s stance reflects the company’s wider shift toward electrification in its road car program.

“It was necessary to produce an electric Ferrari,” Ferrari added. “We must keep pace with new technologies.”

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