Ferrari faces significant pace challenges at the Japanese GP as Leclerc and Hamilton trail McLaren's Oscar Piastri by seven to eight tenths in second practice. The Scuderia loses approximately four tenths on the home straight and into Turn 1 alone, with Mercedes-powered cars outperforming Ferrari on straights.

Hamilton describes the SF-26 as "just not quick enough" while Ferrari's sporting director Diego Ioverno acknowledges the gap aligns with expectations, particularly in short runs. The seven-time world champion believes improving car balance could unlock more performance.

Despite McLaren topping FP2 timesheets, the team admits their performance is likely an outlier. Mercedes and Ferrari are expected to resume their positions as first and second fastest teams during competitive running, leaving Ferrari with significant development work ahead of the 2026 regulation changes.