Charles Leclerc has admitted that Ferrari’s wet-weather performance remains something of a lottery after a difficult 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix, describing the SF-26 as almost undriveable during the opening stint at Interlagos. The Monegasque struggled badly to generate tyre temperature in the early stages, particularly at the rear, before his pace improved significantly as the race progressed. Despite recovering to seventh place, he acknowledged that Ferrari still has considerable work to do in changing conditions.
Starting from the lower half of the grid because of a penalty for an engine change made an already complicated Sunday even more challenging. Charles Leclerc had qualified fourth, a result that would have put him in an excellent starting position without the penalty. Max Verstappen demonstrated that recovering through the field was possible, but the Ferrari driver’s race was considerably less straightforward, with his performance varying dramatically between stints.
Charles Leclerc reveals why Ferrari struggled so badly on intermediate tyres
The opening lap and the entire first stint on intermediate tyres proved particularly difficult for Charles Leclerc, who struggled to bring the rubber up to its operating temperature. The rear tyres were especially problematic, at a time when managing the rear axle on intermediates had become one of the biggest challenges for several drivers.
Failing to generate sufficient tyre temperature was particularly costly in those conditions. While other drivers starting towards the back of the field were building their recovery drives, Charles Leclerc was unable to make progress.
Instead of gaining positions, the Monegasque lost one on the opening lap, dropping to fifteenth. His situation gradually improved as the tyres finally entered their working window, allowing him to recover to twelfth, but the Ferrari driver made no attempt to hide just how difficult the opening stages had been.
“The execution was good. But the pace in the first stint was horrible for me, particularly at the start. We really struggled to get the tyres up to temperature, and the car was undriveable. Lewis certainly found a way, because he made a great start, but for me it was like driving on ice,” Charles Leclerc explained.
The difficulties highlighted Ferrari’s sensitivity to tyre temperatures in wet conditions, an issue that had already emerged as a significant concern during the technical analysis of the SF-26’s performance.
Why Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc experienced opposite tyre behaviour
One of the most interesting aspects of Ferrari’s Brazilian Grand Prix was how differently its two drivers experienced the opening stint.
While Charles Leclerc struggled immediately after the start before gradually improving, Lewis Hamilton was one of the standout performers on the opening lap, overtaking several cars, including his own team-mate.
However, the situation changed towards the end of the stint. Lewis Hamilton began experiencing difficulties with the rear tyres, allowing his rivals to catch and overtake him. The two Ferrari drivers had effectively encountered opposite problems at different stages of the same stint.
It was at that point that Lewis Hamilton decided to take the initiative and become the first driver to switch to slick tyres. Charles Leclerc adopted a more cautious approach, although that decision resulted in him losing the position again.
The opening phase of the first slick-tyre stint was similarly inconsistent for the Monegasque. Just as he had experienced on the intermediates, Charles Leclerc initially struggled to generate sufficient temperature in the rear axle.
Ferrari’s rear tyre temperature problem explains unusual front-wing decision
Ferrari’s difficulties in generating rear tyre temperature also influenced the team’s aerodynamic decisions during the race.
The Scuderia chose not to add further front-wing flap angle because it needed to protect the rear axle. With the rear tyres still too cold, the car was sliding and losing grip, making additional front-end aerodynamic load an undesirable solution.
The time required to bring the tyres into their working window illustrates the extent of the problem. Charles Leclerc made his pit stop after 16 laps, yet it was only around lap 30 that he finally began to generate sufficient tyre temperature. In other words, almost 15 laps passed after the stop before the rubber started working properly.
Tyre pressures may also have contributed to the difficulties, as Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur suggested following the race.
The contrasting behaviour across the different stints provides an interesting comparison for Ferrari’s tyre management. The compounds used, stint lengths and performance trends can also be explored through the F1 Tyre and Stint Analysis.
Charles Leclerc finds competitive pace but loses out to fresh soft tyres
Paradoxically, Ferrari’s early tyre warm-up difficulties eventually brought some advantages. Once other drivers began struggling with their tyres, Charles Leclerc found himself with competitive pace and was able to recover positions, although traffic frequently prevented him from making full use of that performance.
At one stage, the Ferrari driver was lapping at a pace not far from that of the frontrunners.
It was precisely this improvement that encouraged Charles Leclerc to remain on track while his rivals came into the pits for a second stop and a fresh set of soft tyres. The decision ultimately came at a cost, because the newer soft tyres proved more effective over a longer distance. Nevertheless, considering his position at the time, staying out was not necessarily the wrong choice.
In fact, that strategy allowed Charles Leclerc to remain close to Liam Lawson and challenge the Racing Bulls driver when the arrival of further rain forced both of them to switch back to intermediate tyres.
“The first stint was bad, but the second one on the soft tyres was actually quite good. However, I didn’t have the opportunity to run in clean air. In the end, by staying patient and making the right decisions, we finished seventh, behind the other three top teams,” Charles Leclerc said after the race.
His comments reflected the two very different phases of his afternoon, with tyre behaviour determining whether the SF-26 was difficult to control or capable of producing competitive lap times.
Ferrari’s Brazilian GP problems highlight differences between qualifying and race setup
Following qualifying, Charles Leclerc had explained that he had learned a great deal from experimenting with different settings on Saturday.
Those changes included adjustments to the car’s setup, front-wing configuration and the various controls available on the steering wheel, including the differential and brake balance. However, the Monegasque had already made clear that settings which work over a single qualifying lap do not necessarily deliver the same results during a race.
The Brazilian Grand Prix reinforced that distinction. Despite the encouraging performance that had allowed Charles Leclerc to qualify fourth, the SF-26 proved extremely difficult to manage during parts of the race, particularly when the tyres were outside their ideal temperature range.
His progression through the field, including the positions lost and recovered during the changing conditions, can be examined using the F1 Race Position and Progression Tracker.
Charles Leclerc warns Ferrari must solve its long-standing wet-weather problems
Although seventh place represented a recovery from his compromised starting position, Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari has important lessons to take from the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The team’s recurring difficulties in wet conditions have been affecting its results for too long, and the inconsistency between different phases of the race demonstrated that the underlying problems remain unresolved.
For Charles Leclerc, the most frustrating aspect is the unpredictability. When the tyres begin working properly, Ferrari can show competitive performance, but when the car struggles to generate temperature and grip, the situation can deteriorate dramatically.
“For us, the rain is a bit like a lottery. Sometimes we end up on the right side of it, sometimes on the wrong side, and then the car is a disaster to drive. We still have a lot of work to do on this.”
The assessment leaves Ferrari with a clear challenge: understanding why the SF-26 can go from being almost undriveable to producing competitive lap times within the same Grand Prix, and finding a way to make that performance more consistent when weather conditions change.
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