Ferrari starts it's Formula 1 engine, and it's alive

As a Ferrari supporter, hope has become a cautious habit over the years. Yet on Friday, that familiar surge returned when Ferrari released the first footage of its Formula 1 2026 engine firing into life, a moment that felt like more than routine preseason theater. It sounded like intent.

The short clip, shared across Ferrari’s channels, captured the Scuderia’s new power unit coming to life inside the Maranello factory ahead of next week’s official unveiling of the SF 26. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were both present, with Hamilton filming the moment on his phone as the engine barked awake, before applause rippled across the factory floor. It was a brief scene, but a powerful one, suggesting belief inside a team desperate to turn promise into championships. 

The timing mattered. Ferrari released the footage on the same day its so called revolutionary 2026 power unit completed its first laps on track with customer team Cadillac. Sergio Perez carried out a shakedown at Silverstone, marking Cadillac’s first steps in Formula 1 using Ferrari engines while its own power unit continues development for a planned 2029 debut.

This is all unfolding against the backdrop of sweeping regulation changes for 2026, with Formula 1 introducing new chassis rules alongside a major engine overhaul. The sport is moving to fifty percent electrification, fully sustainable fuels, and active aerodynamics, forcing manufacturers to rethink everything. Ferrari is one of five engine suppliers for the new era, joined by Mercedes, Honda, Audi F1 and Red Bull Powertrains Ford.

For Ferrari fans, the intrigue runs deeper than sound clips and shakedowns. Reports over recent months suggest the Scuderia has taken a bold technical path with its new engine, most notably through the use of steel alloy cylinder heads. Aluminum has long been favoured for its light weight, but Ferrari is believed to have pushed combustion pressures and temperatures to unprecedented levels with steel, achieving greater efficiency despite the added mass.

There were reliability concerns along the way, serious enough for Ferrari to continue parallel development of an aluminum alternative last year. But a recent breakthrough in durability is said to have convinced the team to commit fully to the steel design, underlining just how aggressively Ferrari is attacking the 2026 reset.

With Leclerc and Hamilton set to race for Ferrari next season, and the SF 26 due to be launched on Friday, January 23, three days before the first pre season test in Barcelona, optimism feels justified. As a fan, this engine firing up was not just noise. It sounded like Ferrari daring to believe again, and maybe inviting the rest of us to do the same.