Charles Leclerc has called for an end to the controversy surrounding his relationship with Lewis Hamilton, confirming that discussions between the Ferrari team-mates have helped clarify their differences. The Monegasque also revealed that Ferrari used a difficult, rain-affected qualifying session for the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix to experiment with the SF-26, gathering valuable information despite securing only fourth place at Interlagos.
After announcing power unit replacements on both cars, Ferrari approached qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix with two objectives: to gain a better understanding of the SF-26’s behaviour in wet conditions and, particularly with Charles Leclerc, to secure the best possible qualifying result before the application of a ten-place grid penalty.
The Monegasque finished fourth in qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix, the 20th round of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship. It was the best result he could achieve at Interlagos, where persistent rain created extremely challenging conditions for the drivers and made the session anything but straightforward.
Charles Leclerc reveals Ferrari’s Brazilian GP qualifying experiments
Knowing that Charles Leclerc would have to serve a ten-place grid penalty, Ferrari decided to use qualifying as an opportunity to explore different set-up solutions for the SF-26 and investigate how the car performs in wet conditions.
Wet-weather performance has historically been a difficult area for the Scuderia, making the session an opportunity to experiment rather than focus exclusively on the qualifying classification. Despite the restrictions imposed by parc fermé regulations, the team was able to make adjustments that provided useful information.
The approach could potentially help Ferrari unlock additional performance, both in Sunday’s race and during the remainder of the season. Charles Leclerc acknowledged that the experiments had helped the team understand aspects of the car’s behaviour, even if the final result remained disappointing.
“It was a session where we had a lot of performance in certain areas and less in others, especially towards the end. But it was a good session. We tried a lot of things. We knew we would be taking the penalty, so we could afford to take risks and experiment. Even though we have parc fermé and can’t change too many things, the adjustments we made allowed us to learn a lot. Obviously, the result isn’t ideal, we’re not happy with fourth place, and we have a difficult car in the wet.”
The comments highlight the contrasting aspects of Ferrari’s qualifying performance. While fourth place fell short of the team’s ambitions, the opportunity to investigate the SF-26’s behaviour in difficult conditions could prove valuable as the weekend continues.
The qualifying performance can also be examined through the ScuderiaFans F1 qualifying pace and sector comparison, which allows drivers’ lap times and sector performances to be analysed in greater detail.
Charles Leclerc calls for an end to Lewis Hamilton controversy
Beyond the technical challenges at Interlagos, Charles Leclerc also addressed the sensitive issue of his recent tensions with Lewis Hamilton, which have remained a major talking point following the Mexican Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver confirmed that discussions involving his team-mate and team principal Fred Vasseur had provided an opportunity to clarify their respective opinions. However, he also made it clear that he believes the controversy has already received more than enough attention.
“I think it’s always useful to have a discussion, but ultimately I don’t even think there’s any point in continuing to talk about it for so long. We’ve already been talking about it for so many days. We’ve spoken with Lewis, and for me that’s really the most important thing: clearing things up. I gave Lewis my opinion, and he gave me his. We don’t always have to agree, but I think it’s also important to close this chapter.”
Charles Leclerc’s comments suggest that, while the two Ferrari drivers do not necessarily share the same perspective on everything that happened, they have been able to discuss their differences directly.
For the Monegasque, the priority now is to move beyond the disagreements and concentrate on racing. The clarification comes at an important moment for Ferrari, which faces the challenge of recovering from grid penalties while attempting to improve its performance in the unpredictable conditions at Interlagos.
With the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix approaching, Ferrari will be hoping that the lessons learned during qualifying can translate into improved performance, while the discussions between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton allow the team to leave the Mexico controversy behind.
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