2026 is make-or-break year for Ferrari

"Next year will be our year."

It's a phrase that invites more mockery than promise and one that has become the unofficial slogan of Ferrari over the course of a title drought that's nearing two decades.

"Next year" is here. The upcoming Formula 1 season, which brings the biggest regulation changes in over a decade, is shaping up to be a crucial crossroads for the Scuderia.

Ferrari needs 2026 to be its year. If it isn't, there's no telling what seismic consequences await.

The futures of Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and team principal Fred Vasseur could very well hang in the balance. Another disappointing setback may cause all three to depart.

Leclerc, the crown jewel of the Ferrari project, has stood by the team with unwavering - and perhaps even foolish - loyalty. But the driver whom the Tifosi nicknamed "il Predestinato" (the Predestined One) is seemingly nearing the end of his patience with his first love.

Leclerc told Sky Sports in December that 2026 is a "now-or-never" year for Ferrari to capitalize on a fresh start. With rumors swirling in the Italian media that linked Leclerc to the likes of Aston Martin and Mercedes at the end of last season, Ferrari might be running out of chances to prove it can support Leclerc in a championship fight. The mechanisms in Leclerc's contract haven't been confirmed, but it's been speculated that there's a way out after 2027.

While Leclerc might be headed for the door, Hamilton, whose contract length isn't known either, could perhaps be shown the door. What was supposed to be one of the most powerful partnerships in F1's history isn't far from becoming an untenable situation that results in an ugly divorce.

The seven-time world champion is coming off a disastrous debut season for the Prancing Horse, failing to record a podium for the first time in his 19-season career. While Hamilton's potentially declining traits may be a separate concern from Ferrari building a competitive car in 2026, the elements do overlap somewhat. When things are going great among the team and in the cockpit, Hamilton can rise to an almost untouchable level. But when there's no sign of optimism or hope, he's prone to downward spirals that are difficult to stop, much like in 2025.

The future of Vasseur, one of Hamilton's biggest supporters inside the team, is no clearer. There was already speculation within Italy last season that the French boss' job was in jeopardy before he was rewarded with a new multi-year contract. However, as we've come to know, contracts in F1 aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

As the man at the forefront of the Maranello base, Vasseur will be the first to answer for any issues in 2026. The results produced by the 57-year-old thus far have been a mixed bag. In 2023, he rejuvenated a Ferrari team that had lost its way under Mattia Binotto. He carried that momentum through 2024, when Ferrari finished 14 points shy of winning the constructors' title and grabbed an F1-high 22 podiums. But as the Tifosi have seen time and again, last year, when everything pointed to a Ferrari title fight, the team fell flat on its face, finishing fourth in the constructors' standings.

Vasseur got a pass, but Ferrari may not be so fortunate a second time around.

Ferrari since 2014

Still, despite the threat of every doomsday scenario, the hope of glory keeps the Tifosi strapped in for the ride. Besides, there isn't a Hollywood script that could accurately capture the pandemonium if Leclerc were to end Ferrari's title drought or Hamilton were to eclipse the legendary Michael Schumacher with an eighth title.

That's partly why it's never been more critical for Ferrari to get it right. Another dud in 2026 won't just be a lost year. It would cloud the foreseeable future as Maranello attempts to catch up. For Leclerc, who could be looking at an eighth season in red without a championship, and the 41-year-old Hamilton, that position won't be good enough.

How many more years this iteration of Ferrari has together is yet to be determined. As Leclerc said, it's now or never. The Tifosi and decision-makers won't wait any longer. This needs to be Ferrari's year.