Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari needs further upgrades to regain ground in Formula 1’s development race after another difficult Sunday for the SF-26 in Baku. The Ferrari driver is now waiting for new parts expected for the Austin Grand Prix weekend as the team looks to reverse a run of five consecutive races without a podium.
Five races without a podium for Ferrari
Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on the front row in Baku, securing second place in Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying. However, the picture changed quickly in the race. After losing a position to Oscar Piastri at the start, Charles Leclerc was overtaken within the opening laps by the Red Bulls of Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen.
Charles Leclerc eventually finished fourth, taking advantage of an error from Oscar Piastri. Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli had also given his rivals an opportunity after making a mistake in qualifying that compromised his race, but Ferrari was unable to capitalise as Red Bull returned to highly competitive form in Baku.
The results from the last five races suggest that Ferrari may have slipped towards the role of Formula 1’s fourth-fastest team in terms of outright performance. The situation has highlighted the pressure on the Maranello team in the development battle, with McLaren making significant progress and Red Bull remaining difficult to assess but clearly highly competitive in Azerbaijan. The wider competitive picture can also be followed through Ferrari’s comparison with its Formula 1 rivals.
Charles Leclerc waits for Ferrari’s Austin upgrades
The concern is particularly significant because Ferrari had shown strong potential over a single lap before struggling to reproduce that competitiveness during the race. The SF-26’s performance limitations in Azerbaijan had already emerged through Ferrari’s Baku telemetry analysis, with the development battle becoming increasingly important as the season progresses.
“We need upgrades to get back to ‘winning’ the development race,” Charles Leclerc told F1 TV after the race. “We know we still have something in the pipeline to improve the performance of the SF-26. I don’t know whether our rivals also have other upgrades planned. It’s a shame that on a weekend when qualifying was excellent, we ended up struggling so much in the race.”
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