Ferrari are now rushing to get their latest upgrade for the SF-26 to COTA so that Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc get the benefits at the 2026 F1 United States Grand Prix.

Formula 1 goes Stateside next time out for the start of the second of three triple-headers to finish the 2026 season. So, Ferrari are working hard in Maranello to deliver their next major upgrade package in time for the United States GP, the Mexico City GP and the Sao Paulo GP.

COTA was occasionally a happy hunting ground for Ferrari during the ground-effect era, with Leclerc winning the 2024 United States GP and finishing fourth in 2025 as Hamilton took P5. But the demands of COTA’s first sector will pose a new challenge with F1’s 2026 regulations.

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Ferrari are rushing to debut their upgraded sidepods at the 2026 United States Grand Prix

So, Ferrari are working on debuting a raft of aero upgrades at COTA that can help unlock the SF-26’s performance, particularly in the first sector’s fast corners. It is even said that Ferrari believe their updates for COTA will yield a significant leap in performance on October 23-25.

Ferrari’s engineers in Maranello under chassis technical director Loic Serra are working on a new floor, sidepods and radiator intakes for the SF-26. But the Scuderia are having to ‘rush’ to get their upgraded sidepods to COTA, or wait until the Mexico City GP to then field them.

That is according to the Italian edition of Motorsport.com, which adds that Ferrari hope that their updates for the United States GP will also help overcome the lack of performance they gained from their ADUO2 engine update they introduced at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Serra’s team have already been working extensively on the heavily revised Ferrari SF-27 for 2027, as they feel the SF-26 is nearing the limits of its potential. But wind tunnel tests with Ferrari’s upgraded floor and sidepods produced positive results, so they were ‘approved’ in ‘good time’ for the United States GP. But their sidepods might not make it to COTA in time.

Hamilton and Leclerc will ‘definitely’ get Ferrari’s updated floor, as the high lateral loads in COTA’s first sector will test the SF-26 and the Pirelli tyres on offer in Texas. So, Ferrari hope their upgrades offer more downforce, less drag and also widen the car’s operating window.

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The Circuit of the Americas’ first sector will test the Ferrari SF-26’s strengths in comparison to the recently improved Red Bull RB22 and the newly updated Mercedes W17 in medium-speed corners. But it will be crucial that Ferrari’s updates do not make the SF-26 too draggy, as any limitations would leave Leclerc and Hamilton fighting with one arm tied behind their backs on COTA’s 1km (0.6mi) back straight – which is the main overtaking spot at the circuit.

Ferrari struggling with a draggy car would also hold Hamilton and Leclerc back at the Mexico City GP. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez sits over 2,200 metres above sea level and features a 1.2km (0.74mi) main straight, which – like at COTA – is the major overtaking area.

Hamilton and Leclerc would likely be able to cope with any extra drag that Ferrari’s updates create at the Sao Paulo GP, provided that the upgrades add more downforce. Interlagos will not punish a draggy F1 car as badly as COTA and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will.