Charles Leclerc admitted Ferrari faced a combination of problems during the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix after finishing only eighth despite starting from the front row. The Monegasque driver rejected the idea that strategy was primarily responsible for the disappointing result, instead pointing to a lack of overall performance from the SF-26 throughout the race.
Leclerc’s race unravels after promising qualifying
Eighth place was a bitter outcome for Charles Leclerc after an encouraging qualifying session that had put him on the front row alongside George Russell. From the opening lap, however, the Ferrari driver never appeared comfortable behind the wheel of the SF-26, slipping backwards as rival after rival found a way past.
The difficult afternoon continued a challenging period for the Monegasque, who has struggled to rediscover the confidence and consistency that characterised the opening races of the season.
Ferrari endured a particularly difficult race, with the SF-26 lacking competitiveness on every compound in the Pirelli range. Besides the well-known engine deficit, the car also struggled for overall race pace and tyre degradation, while the 28-year-old appeared to suffer even more than teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc: “I immediately felt I didn’t have much performance”
Speaking to the media after the race, Leclerc explained that something felt wrong almost immediately.
“I need to keep working. Yesterday was a step forward because we made significant changes to the car and moved in a slightly different direction. But today was extremely difficult from the very first laps. I immediately felt I didn’t have much performance. During the first couple of laps, it even felt like I didn’t have much deployment. Then things stabilised and improved a little, but overall the performance simply wasn’t there.”
The Monegasque also dismissed suggestions that Ferrari’s three-stop strategy was the main reason for the disappointing result.
“The difference between a two-stop and a three-stop strategy was very small. We chose three stops because we had nothing left to lose and my tyres were completely worn out on the second set of hard tyres. Unfortunately, strategy always looks bad when you don’t have the pace, so today I don’t think strategy was the problem.”
Looking ahead to Silverstone, Charles Leclerc remained realistic about Ferrari’s prospects.
“We’ll have a lot of work to do because, honestly, things aren’t working at the moment. Qualifying was better, but once again the race wasn’t good.”
Engine deficit is only part of the problem
Ferrari’s race performance at the Red Bull Ring closely reflected the warning signs already seen during Friday practice. Although overnight setup changes transformed qualifying, they failed to solve the team’s race pace issues.
Charles Leclerc admitted the power unit remains a significant weakness, particularly on circuits where engine performance plays such an important role.
“The engine gap is significant. I believe it’s something we can recover, but right now we’re struggling a lot. In every battle I had with Red Bull and the Mercedes-powered cars, there was very little I could do. But today we also lacked race pace, especially on my side of the garage, although I think the team as a whole struggled compared to Barcelona.”
Searching for answers before Silverstone
Despite Ferrari’s difficult afternoon, Leclerc remains convinced the power unit deficit can gradually be reduced through the ADUO development programme. For now, however, his main priority is understanding the behaviour of the SF-26 and rebuilding his confidence behind the wheel.
“At moments like this, I just have to keep my head down, continue working and try to understand this car. I’m still struggling to fully figure it out.”
One additional factor may also be affecting Leclerc’s confidence. Since switching to Carbon Industrie brake discs in Spain, the braking characteristics have changed significantly, and adapting to that package could still be influencing both his confidence and overall performance as Ferrari searches for answers ahead of the British Grand Prix.
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