Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari still has significant performance to unlock after finishing only 11th in Belgian Grand Prix FP2, 1.5 seconds behind Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The result left the SF-26 well outside the leading positions, but the Monegasque expects setup work and a possible change in Ferrari’s power-unit programme to produce a stronger showing on Saturday.
Ferrari had started the Spa-Francorchamps weekend much more positively, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc closely following Max Verstappen during FP1. However, the competitive picture changed considerably in the afternoon as Mercedes increased its pace and both Ferrari drivers slipped further down the order.
Charles Leclerc finishes 11th in Belgian GP FP2
World Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli was the fastest driver across Friday’s practice sessions at Spa. The Mercedes driver set a best time of 1m45.944s, becoming the only driver to break the 1m46s barrier.
Ferrari, by contrast, ended FP2 some distance from the front after its encouraging morning performance. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, more than seven tenths behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Charles Leclerc could manage no better than 11th, 1.5 seconds away from the Italian driver’s benchmark.
The result represented a significant step backwards from the promising Ferrari performance during Belgian GP FP1. The full Belgian GP FP2 classification and analysis also showed the scale of the advantage Mercedes had established by the end of Friday.
Charles Leclerc sees room for Ferrari improvement
Despite his position and the substantial gap to Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc remained optimistic that Ferrari could find more performance before qualifying. The team completed an extensive Friday programme and will now use the collected data to refine the SF-26’s setup.
“We did quite a lot of work today and I believe there is still room to improve our competitiveness,” Charles Leclerc said after Friday’s running at Spa. “This evening, we will refine the car’s setup ahead of tomorrow and work to find something more in terms of qualifying-lap performance.”
Charles Leclerc’s comments suggest Ferrari does not consider the FP2 classification fully representative of its ultimate potential. The team must nevertheless identify why the SF-26 lost so much ground after showing competitive pace earlier in the day, particularly as Ferrari’s hybrid performance became a concern during FP2.
Why Ferrari could make a significant step on Saturday
One possible explanation for Ferrari’s deficit is that the team may have completed Friday’s programme with a heavier fuel load, as it previously did in Barcelona and Austria. Ferrari may also have used power units without the ADUO updates as part of its normal engine rotation schedule.
Neither factor is presented as confirmed, but both could help explain why the SF-26 appeared less competitive in FP2 than it had during the opening session. A lower fuel load and the use of Ferrari’s updated power-unit specification would potentially produce a more representative picture of the car’s qualifying performance.
Ferrari therefore has reasonable grounds to expect a noticeable step forward on Saturday. However, the team will still need to convert that remaining potential into lap time if Charles Leclerc is to recover from 11th place and challenge the Mercedes drivers during Belgian Grand Prix qualifying.
Before arriving at Spa, Charles Leclerc had already outlined Ferrari’s expectations for the Belgian Grand Prix and identified Mercedes as the likely benchmark. Friday’s times supported that assessment, but the true competitive order may only become clear when the teams run their definitive qualifying configurations.
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