2025 vs 2026: The Big Team Check After the First Four Races | Part 2 of 6

Four races are done, the spring break has arrived – and that makes it the perfect time for an initial assessment. In this edition of our big team check, we focus on two more new names on the grid: Spinardi and Seawolf NetRace Motorsport. Both teams have had a difficult start to the 2026 season so far, but with Montreal approaching, the picture may soon begin to change.

Spinardi: Limited returns, but the first encouraging signs are there

Spinardi’s start to the season does not look spectacular at first glance. Five points from four races, tenth place in the championship, no top-five finish and only one top-10 result so far – that is obviously not the kind of record that immediately creates major headlines for a new team. And yet it would be too simple to reduce Spinardi’s opening phase to nothing more than a modest points total.

Because between the dry numbers, there are still some encouraging signs. With a best race finish of eighth place and a highest grid position of seventh, Spinardi have already shown that, on good days, they can at least get into striking distance of the points and the wider front half of the field. That may not be a breakthrough yet, but it is at least an indication that the foundations are not entirely missing.

The real issue so far lies elsewhere: a lack of stability. Three DNFs in four events are a major burden for a new project. For a team that is still trying to establish itself in the field, retirements hurt twice as much. They do not just cost points, they also cost rhythm, confidence and the opportunity to build momentum through consistent weekends.

That is exactly why Spinardi currently look like a team still in the middle of their discovery phase. The first signs are there, but they have only appeared in flashes so far. The calm is still missing, the consistency is still missing, and the complete weekend in which everything comes together has not arrived yet. But at least there is something to build on: unlike teams that have remained almost invisible so far, Spinardi have already shown that points and decent individual results are possible.

There is also another factor that makes the next races especially interesting: Spinardi are heading to Montreal with a major update package. That shows the team are not simply waiting for things to improve on their own, but are actively trying to force the next step. For a new project in particular, that kind of development push can be decisive in turning early signs of promise into real consistency.

The major task for the coming races will therefore be to turn isolated signs into a reliable overall picture. If they can reduce the error rate and translate the new components into genuine performance, Spinardi could still make much more of this difficult start. Right now, the team still look more like a project with cautious early promise than a newcomer that has truly arrived – but Montreal could be exactly the moment when that image begins to change.

Seawolf NetRace Motorsport: A difficult start, but now with fresh hope

For Seawolf NetRace Motorsport, the start to the 2026 season has so far been defined by one word above all: difficult. One point from four races, 12th in the championship, no top-10 finish and no real highlight up front – the numbers make it fairly clear that this team have not yet found their rhythm in VFC during the opening weeks.

That becomes especially clear when looking at their best individual results. 12th place in a race and 15th on the grid are numbers that show Seawolf are currently fighting more for survival in the midfield and lower order than for a genuine push towards the top 10. While other new projects have at least picked up eye-catching moments or respectable early results, Seawolf are still focused primarily on finding any kind of foothold in the field.

It is made even harder by the fact that they too have already recorded three DNFs. For a young team that urgently needs race mileage, experience and clean weekends, that is exactly the kind of setback that slows development. New teams depend on gathering data, building routines and developing trust in their package. When retirements define the opening phase instead, every step forward becomes that much harder.

And yet that single point is more than just a footnote. It is small, but it matters. It shows that Seawolf have at least managed to push the door open. The road ahead is still long, but this start is not entirely without hope either. Especially for a new team, the early phase is not always about major results, but often about simply establishing a presence in the championship.

And this is exactly where Montreal could become a real turning point for Seawolf. The team are arriving with a major update package for the next race – and especially in Seawolf’s case, that package already seems to have had a noticeable effect. On the car side, the gap to the broad midfield appears to have been significantly reduced. That does not automatically mean Seawolf will suddenly be fighting at the very front, but it does change the team’s outlook in a meaningful way. A project that had mainly been fighting for survival could now become one that can establish itself far more credibly in the midfield.

That is why Seawolf currently look like a team that are still in the middle of arriving, but now have a realistic foundation for a visible step forward for the first time. The pace over multiple weekends is still missing, the consistency is still missing, and the defining moment that could really bring this project to life has not happened yet. But with a major update package in their luggage, Montreal is more than just the next race for Seawolf – it is a chance to turn a difficult start into a new direction.

Two difficult starts – and perhaps still the beginning of a new direction

After four races, an initial conclusion can also be drawn for Spinardi and Seawolf: both teams are still a long way from matching the level of the stronger newcomers, but the outlook for the coming races has changed. Spinardi have already shown the clearer competitive signs and are also heading to Montreal with a major update package, while Seawolf are offering renewed hope mainly because of their latest development steps. In their case especially, the gap to the broad midfield on the car side appears to have become noticeably smaller.

The same still applies to both projects: the opening weeks of a VFC season may reveal the weaknesses of a new team, but they do not have to define its direction for the whole year. Montreal could therefore become a key benchmark for both teams – for Spinardi as a chance to stabilise their early promise, and for Seawolf as an opportunity to finally turn their development into visible results.