Charles Leclerc says he and Lewis Hamilton are closely aligned on the direction Ferrari should take, and their shared vision extends far beyond the characteristics of the SF-26. The Monegasque driver believes both Ferrari drivers are now leaders within the team, combining different driving styles with similar demands from the car and a common view of how the Scuderia should improve its wider working processes.
Charles Leclerc’s loyalty to Ferrari is not driven by emotion alone. He remains convinced that the Maranello team represents his best opportunity to become Formula 1 world champion, while crediting Fred Vasseur with helping to create a calmer environment during a period of major change. Speaking in an exclusive interview for Italy with FormulaPassion ahead of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Charles Leclerc discussed Ferrari’s evolution, his relationship with Lewis Hamilton, the unusual demands of the current Formula 1 cars and his own long-term future.
Charles Leclerc reflects on how Ferrari has changed
We are approaching the Italian Grand Prix. A few days after the 2018 edition, you were announced as an official Ferrari driver for the following season. How much do you feel you have changed since then?
“A lot, because through all the races and experiences you go through, the good ones as well as the bad ones, you grow a lot as a driver and as a person, and you learn how to manage those situations. I practically grew up in Italy, where all the karting races were held, and I took a lot from the Italians in terms of passion and emotion. Over the years, I have learned to manage those emotions a little better when things are going very well or very badly. I have grown a lot in that respect. I would say the passion has remained intact. My love for Ferrari and for this sport is the same as it was on the first day.”
Have you also seen the team evolve over these years, not only in terms of personnel but also the environment?
“Enormously, and probably in the same areas I mentioned when talking about myself. The whole environment is less inclined to be emotionally influenced, and being in a calmer atmosphere has helped me a lot. There is so much passion at Ferrari and that is a huge strength, because when things are not going in the right direction, there is so much motivation. We do not count the hours [we work] if it means turning the situation around. But passion can also work against you, because when things go badly, people feel it deeply, and it is the same when things go well.”
“Having those [emotional] ups and downs can be difficult to manage, especially during a weekend. I think Fred has brought more cool-headedness, if you can call it that, and more detachment when dealing with certain situations. He has that calmness where, whatever happens during a weekend, he is always the reference point. Emotionally speaking, he is quite consistent, at least with us, and I think that is a positive thing for Ferrari.”
Fred Vasseur’s management of the team has remained a central part of Ferrari’s development, with the team principal continuing to examine areas where execution can be improved following recent race weekends. Ferrari also carried out a review after the Dutch Grand Prix as the Scuderia looked to sharpen its decision-making.
Why Charles Leclerc committed his future to Ferrari
Why did you choose to renew with Ferrari for such a long time?
“I have a close relationship with Fred and he shares a lot about the vision he has for the team, the choices we made for this year’s car and what is going to happen in the years to come. It was not a decision I made after speaking only to Ferrari, nor simply because I wanted to stay here. There were conversations, and in the end the project that excited me the most was always Ferrari’s.”
“Winning here is my dream, but the decision was not based only on my love for Ferrari, it was also about the project. I wanted to make the most of the opportunities that were there in order to make the right decision, the one that gave me the highest probability of becoming world champion, and I firmly believe Ferrari is the team to do that.”
Charles Leclerc’s conviction is therefore rooted in both emotion and his assessment of Ferrari’s long-term Formula 1 project. His familiarity with the organisation also gives him access to information about the team’s future that would naturally be harder to obtain when considering a move elsewhere.
Can you explain that in more detail?
“You need a clear vision of where we want to go and what we want to do with our project. When I negotiate with Ferrari, it is a little like an open book because it is the team I currently race for. I know exactly what the vision is, what I want from the car and what the future looks like. That gives me a lot of optimism.”
How transparent were the other teams in sharing information with you about what they were planning?
“It is difficult, because you are still talking to rivals who do not want to give you too much information, but at the same time they have to sell you their project. In the end, by talking to people, you get a feeling and you understand the direction they are heading in.”
“On top of that, I sit in front of a computer every day looking at my data but also theirs, so there are things that we know too. The paddock is a small environment and you have some idea of the direction the different teams are taking. You make your decision based on that.”
Charles Leclerc explains his difficult spell and Silverstone response
How do you see the second half of the season after saying there was so much negativity around you during the first half?
“I think the negativity came later in the season, around Montreal, when things were not going in the right direction. It is normal for there to be negativity when somebody is not doing their job, as was the case with me. I simply did not feel right with the car. There were aspects I was struggling with and I did not have a good feeling.”
“Then we changed things, and to be able to react in the way we did at Silverstone was incredible. The feeling was really good. It was not that I had lost confidence in myself, because that inner confidence, that when you work hard things will work out for the best, is always there. However, you still have to prove it on track, and to do that so quickly was a great feeling.”
Why the 2026 Formula 1 cars require Charles Leclerc to rethink his driving
Do you now understand the problems you had to deal with?
“There are still some things I need to work on and these cars will continue to be very unusual. I think this is a Formula 1 we have never seen before and I believe it will always be like that with this generation of cars.”
“There are things related to the electric motor that require you to drive with efficiency in mind, which is a little bit the opposite of what we learned in the junior categories, where the earlier you put your foot on the accelerator, the faster you went and the better it was for the lap time. In certain specific situations, that is no longer the case.”
“Because of that, I have to reprogramme my mind because I am particularly aggressive in the way I drive. You have to reset, and I think I have already done that. At the beginning of the season I felt comfortable, then at a certain point some characteristics of the car emerged that were difficult.”
“I am probably not yet as comfortable as I was with the cars we used up until last year, and that is something I am continuing to work on, even though things are much better.”
The role of electrical energy has become one of the defining technical themes of the current regulations, with energy recovery and deployment playing a major role in the SF-26’s performance. For Charles Leclerc, those demands are also changing what produces the fastest possible lap from the cockpit.
Why consistency can now beat aggression in qualifying
Do you think this generation of cars has reduced your advantage over one lap in qualifying, where you used to attack the high-speed corners?
“The thing is that this year consistency pays off much more, because the software knows what to expect and optimises the electrical power delivery based on what you are going to do. Every time you do something unexpected, especially in Q3, the energy management is recalculated, but it is not optimised over the entire lap.”
“It is difficult to explain, but overall, being consistent pays off more than being brave and more than trying something in Q3 that nobody has ever done before.”
What Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton taught Charles Leclerc
Speaking of driving styles, how much have Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz and now Lewis Hamilton shaped yours as team-mates?
“I would say they have influenced me a lot as a driver and in the way I work. Driving style, however, is much more difficult to replicate. I have driven in a certain way for my entire career. Having said that, you always try to improve, but my driving style is unique.”
“I do not think one driver can drive identically to another. I will never be able to do exactly what Lewis does in the car because those are natural, instinctive things. But I think one characteristic of a great driver is being able to refine your driving style and find a way, with a new car, to drive slightly differently.”
“I think that is what we are all working on at the moment, because I do not believe anyone is yet able to exploit 100% of the potential of these cars. This new generation of single-seaters behaves in very peculiar ways. Every time you think you have discovered every possible scenario, some new aspect always emerges that has to be managed and optimised.”
So is that why you cannot simply copy what Lewis Hamilton does with this car?
“Exactly. Obviously I can look at his data, and I always do. Sometimes there are things in specific corners where I tell myself, ‘OK, I should try doing it like that.’ Overall, though, I prefer to work on my own driving style so that I can reach the point where things come naturally to me.”
“In Formula 1, when you think too much, things do not work. In any sport, athletes often talk about the flow state; in Italian we might call it a ‘state of flow’, perhaps, but it only happens when things come naturally and then everything becomes easier. That is the point I need to reach.”
“At the moment I still have to think a little too much compared with what I would like, and that is one of the peculiarities of these cars because they are complex, with so many variables involved. To make everything feel as natural as possible, I need to keep working to find my own way.”
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton share the same Ferrari vision
Do you feel like a leader of this team?
“Obviously. I have been part of this team for a long time, but I have Hamilton as my team-mate and he is a seven-time world champion. I think we are both leaders and we are very aligned on the direction we want to take as a team.”
“It is clear that today both drivers are leading the team with a clear vision of where we want to go. We have different driving styles, but what we ask from the car is similar and that is very important.”
That alignment is particularly significant because Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton bring very different career experiences into Ferrari. The latest developments involving both drivers can be followed through ScuderiaFans’ Charles Leclerc coverage and Lewis Hamilton coverage.
Ferrari’s vision goes beyond the characteristics of the SF-26
When you talk about the team’s vision, do you mean the characteristics of the car or something bigger?
“It is not only about the characteristics of the car. There are so many other things in Formula 1, such as processes and the way we work. There are so many people effectively working on one car, because the two cars are the same.”
“It is about thinking about the project and how we can be more efficient as a team. If you put one employee in better conditions and extract 1% more from what they do, then scale that across the thousands of people who work at Ferrari, it can represent a big change.”
“Giving your opinion on the characteristics of the car is at the heart of what we do, but there are many other things we can influence. It is also interesting that Sebastian, Carlos and Lewis brought experience from their previous teams. We all have the same priorities, but potentially with very different processes.”
Has Lewis Hamilton’s arrival changed the way you make these requests to the team?
“I think every driver has unique requests. When Carlos arrived at the team, he needed different things. When I arrived at Ferrari, I had particular requirements and the same applies to Lewis.”
“Obviously something has changed, but not in an unusual way compared with the past. Every time you arrive at a new team, there is always an adaptation period where you try to understand how the team works and how you want to improve it, based on your previous experiences and what you would like to implement within the team. That process was similar, but the requests were different.”
Charles Leclerc discusses whether he will still be in Formula 1 in nine years
This is your ninth season. Where do you see yourself in nine years? Will you still be racing in Formula 1 or would you like to try other experiences?
“I am not sure. I love Formula 1 and what I do, but I also have a family, which is very important to me. I am not sure how my life will evolve over the next few years, I really would not know.”
“I enjoy what I do so much that I would love to still be here, even though it keeps me away from home for a lot of time. At some point, you have to find a balance. In nine years I will still be racing, that is 100% certain, but if Formula 1 has 40 races a year by then, we will probably have to think about it.”
“I consider myself very lucky to do what I do. It is difficult to understand, because if forty years ago I had been told this before reaching Formula 1, I would not have believed it. But at some point, the time you spend at home and with your family is important too.”
“In nine years I will be 37, so saying anything now would be speculation. I will still be racing; we will see whether it will be in Formula 1.”
The shape of future Formula 1 seasons will inevitably influence that balance, while the championship’s current schedule can be followed through the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
Would winning the Formula 1 title make Charles Leclerc consider leaving?
Do you think having a world championship already won would make the decision to leave easier?
“I do not know. I think that if one day I ever won a world championship, I would already be thinking about the second one, and that would be another reason to continue.”
“In our sport, you do not look backwards very much. If I think about how I viewed my career ten years ago and you had told me I would become a Ferrari driver, that alone would already have been a career beyond anything I expected.”
“Then I became a Ferrari driver and at that point I wanted to win my first race, and I did. After that I wanted to win the second one, and then the championship. So I do not think winning a title would influence my decision over whether to leave or continue.”
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