The Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix represents a crucial turning point for Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver arrives at the Red Bull Ring following a difficult spell marked by technical issues and results that fell well short of expectations. Currently fourth in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship with 75 points, the Monegasque sees the Spielberg weekend as the ideal opportunity to reverse his fortunes and reignite his title ambitions.
Speaking ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc offered an honest assessment of Ferrari’s recent performances. He admitted that several setbacks had affected his confidence in the SF-26 at certain moments, while stressing that his belief in the team’s overall package has never disappeared.
Charles Leclerc said: “In Montreal, and especially in Monaco, we had some problems that turned out to be very complicated. There I lost a bit of confidence in the car, but not in the package itself. In Barcelona I found the feeling I had at the beginning of the season again, and that’s definitely a positive.”
His comments reflect the encouraging progress Ferrari made during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, despite the race ending in retirement because of a sudden power steering failure.
Recent setbacks and no excuses
Charles Leclerc is not looking for excuses after Ferrari’s disappointing results in the last two races. Instead, he believes the team simply lost valuable opportunities because of circumstances beyond its control.
“I don’t think the last few races have been good. If I look at things objectively, Monaco and Barcelona went much worse than they should have on paper. We had two technical problems in two consecutive races, and that cost us a lot of points.”
When asked about the failure that forced him out in Barcelona, Charles Leclerc preferred not to reveal too many details: “I can’t go into too much detail about what happened in Barcelona. It all happened very suddenly. I don’t think it’s something we should be worried about going forward.”
Looking ahead to Spielberg, Charles Leclerc expects Ferrari to be competitive but also acknowledges that Mercedes still holds an advantage: “I believe Mercedes still has the fastest car in terms of outright competitiveness. But in the hot conditions we were very strong with the tyres in Barcelona, so I hope we can maintain that level of performance here as well, even though the straights are longer.”
Speaking about the power unit battle, he added:
“The Mercedes power unit is currently better, so I expect us to pay a bigger price because of that.”
Confidence in Ferrari’s development
Despite the recent challenges, morale inside Ferrari remains high. The Scuderia continues to introduce upgrades to the SF-26, and Charles Leclerc believes that constant development is a clear sign of the team’s determination to close the gap to the front: “The team is in a very good place right now. We keep bringing updates, and that shows our commitment. I think we’ve had more race weekends with upgrades than without them, and that’s a very encouraging sign.”
Charles Leclerc also highlighted his affection for the Red Bull Ring and expressed optimism that Ferrari is finally moving in the right direction.
“I’ve always enjoyed racing here. We haven’t won at this circuit for a long time, but in recent years we simply didn’t have the car to do it. Now I have the feeling that we’re on the right path to finding the pace that will allow us to win races again.”
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