Miami stung. Ferrari rolled into Florida with what they genuinely believed was a transformative update package — significant aero revisions, mechanical changes, timed to land alongside the new regulations — and Mercedes, running without their own expected parts, simply went quicker anyway. Canada is now being framed as the real verdict on the SF-26's true potential. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is different enough in character — low-downforce, stop-start, concrete walls everywhere — that the genuine pecking order should show itself more honestly than Miami did.

There's a specific technical thread worth pulling on as we head to Montreal. An AutoRacer analysis comparing the SF-26's front wing against the Mercedes W17, McLaren MCL40, and Red Bull RB22 found Ferrari running the most conservative configuration of the four. Whether that's a deliberate philosophy (prioritising rear-end stability), a trade-off against mechanical grip, or simply a choice that's bleeding downforce in the medium-to-high speed sectors — Canada, with its unique mix of chicanes and full-throttle blasts, may well help answer the question.

On a more encouraging note from the pipeline: Rafael Cămara completed his first-ever F1 kilometres last week, taking the SF-25 out at Ferrari's TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) session in Hungary. The reigning F3 champion, currently midway through his F2 season, has now accumulated sufficient superlicense points to be eligible for an FIA superlicense. Ferrari are clearly accelerating his development arc, and with Leclerc and Hamilton occupying the race seats, Cămara is cementing himself as the next name in the queue.