Ferrari, Charles Leclerc and that constant feeling of unfinished business
During the Miami Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc almost became a victim of his own determination. Not because he delivered a poor race performance — quite the opposite — but because he once again tried to push his Ferrari beyond its actual limits. By now, it has become increasingly clear that the SF-26 is not yet operating at the same level as Mercedes and, over the last couple of races, not even at the level of McLaren, despite Ferrari introducing a substantial package of mechanical and aerodynamic upgrades. The real weak point — and this is hardly a new story — remains the power unit, with the team still waiting for the much-discussed AUDO update.
Leclerc’s mistake was therefore simply the consequence of his relentless desire to once again extract the best possible result. His intentions were obvious from the very beginning of the race, when, by perfectly hitting the braking point, he managed to move ahead of both Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen. In the end, however, it proved pointless, because after only a few laps the superior power of the Mercedes engine package began to emerge once again.
Ferrari: the real impact of the Miami upgrades
The Miami weekend left Ferrari with mixed feelings regarding the effectiveness of its updates. At first glance, simply looking at the final results, it would be easy to think the upgrades did not work. Yet that is not entirely true. Listening to the comments made by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, the updates clearly delivered some benefits, allowing both drivers to feel reasonably comfortable with the car, even if their respective races appeared completely different in execution.
Charles Leclerc consistently remained close to the podium positions throughout both Saturday and Sunday. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, never really moved away from sixth or seventh place, and the impression was that he never genuinely attempted to do anything significantly different.
In any case, Ferrari’s upgrades did work, but their impact appeared less dramatic because rival teams also made significant progress. Red Bull certainly improved, but above all it was McLaren that seemed to make the biggest leap forward, allowing its drivers to secure extremely valuable points once again. The comparison, therefore, should not be made between the Ferrari seen in Miami and the Ferrari from earlier races, but rather between Ferrari’s development rate and that of its direct competitors. And in that respect, McLaren looked like the team capable of delivering the clearest step forward.
After the Miami Grand Prix weekend, Charles Leclerc commented on Ferrari’s current situation but avoided making definitive judgments, preferring instead to wait until the Canadian Grand Prix and the introduction of the expected power unit corrections: “The upgrade package is working,” he explained to the media, as reported by RN365. “The problem,” he then added, “is that the others are also improving and probably their development has been a little more effective”.
Charles Leclerc’s words: balancing confidence and realism
During the latest race weekend, Charles Leclerc also reflected on the evolution of the current Formula 1 cars and how development has become an absolutely decisive factor this season. Having acknowledged that Ferrari’s upgrades are functioning as intended, there is still — understandably — the belief that more progress is needed: “We have more new parts coming and hopefully they will allow us to move a bit further forward”.
And continuing with the topic of development, Charles Leclerc added: “With this generation of cars, especially in the first year of the regulations, everything revolves around development. So we have to do everything perfectly”.
Although it has been emphasized that the real comparison is between Ferrari and the other leading teams, it is still evident that the first two races of the season appeared more positive overall for the Maranello team.
When asked whether Ferrari is showing a tendency to lose competitiveness as race weekends progress, Charles Leclerc replied: “I do not think it is a recurring pattern, but let’s wait for a few more races to understand it better. For now, I do not have that feeling”.
Leadership and frustration: the endless wait for Ferrari’s number 16
Looking carefully at Charles Leclerc’s comments, the Ferrari driver once again appears exactly as fans have become accustomed to over the years: composed, realistic, hopeful and constantly focused on the next opportunity. At the same time, however, there is also the growing impression of a driver who is becoming tired of waiting.
There have now been many seasons for the number 16 driver at Ferrari, all spent with that constant expectation of the perfect moment, the perfect car, the real opportunity to genuinely fight for the Formula 1 world championship until the very end. And inevitably, that feeling begins to weigh heavily over time.
Today, Charles Leclerc is unquestionably the driver carrying Ferrari forward, both from a sporting perspective and from a mental one. It is easy to perceive just how deeply connected he remains to the Ferrari environment and how strongly he still believes in the long-term project. At the same time, however, the growing frustration is becoming increasingly visible.
Taking a step back and returning to the winter break before the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Ferrari certainly deserves credit for avoiding overly ambitious proclamations. Nevertheless, that persistent feeling remains — the sensation that something is still missing.
Even in the post-race interviews, the messages coming from inside the team now appear more coherent and aligned than before, yet they still never seem to point toward anything truly solid or definitive. Charles Leclerc constantly postpones expectations to the next race weekend. Lewis Hamilton has stopped repeatedly thanking the factory staff and now, with notable clarity, focuses more directly on pure performance, openly acknowledging both personal limitations and technical shortcomings.
Then there is Fred Vasseur, who almost sounds as though he is following a perfectly rehearsed script, continuing to repeat that the issue concerns the entire package and that Ferrari simply needs perfection in execution.
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