Charles Leclerc has raised a new concern over Ferrari’s SF-26 after finishing fourth in the Spanish Grand Prix at Madring, revealing that his pace on the Soft tyres was “very poor” before stopping short of explaining the reason publicly. The warning came after a race in which the Monegasque driver had shown far stronger performance and tyre management on the Hard compound, leaving Ferrari with another unanswered question after a difficult Madrid weekend.
Ferrari had arrived in Spain with a small informational advantage over its rivals. In July, the Maranello team became the first Formula 1 outfit to run at the new Madrid circuit during a filming day. Officially, the session allowed the Scuderia to test personnel and equipment at the new venue, but it also gave Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton an early opportunity to familiarise themselves with a circuit that remained a major unknown for the rest of the grid. That previous running was one reason Ferrari had reasons to expect the SF-26 to be better suited to Madring than Monza.
With the circuit and its infrastructure only completed at the last moment, every team faced a substantial learning process. Ferrari’s two drivers, however, had already sampled the layout during the preparatory test. Although the filming-day running was completed on Demo tyres and offered limited opportunities to push, the team had probably been able to explore different tyres, set-up directions and push laps with both drivers, collecting useful data before the Grand Prix weekend.
Ferrari fails to turn its Madrid head start into a result
That advantage in track knowledge was something Ferrari could potentially exploit at Madring, but it did not translate into the result the team wanted. The SF-26 failed to shine in the race and emerged as the fourth force behind a lively but unlucky McLaren, an in-form Mercedes and a Red Bull that had returned to the fight at the front.
Both Ferrari cars appeared to adapt reasonably well to the new circuit, but the Spanish trip still ended with considerable disappointment. The broader weaknesses exposed during the weekend again raised questions over why Ferrari was unable to convert its Madrid potential into a stronger result.
Charles Leclerc brought his SF-26 home in fourth place after nevertheless showing encouraging signs during the race, particularly in tyre management and degradation. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, was forced to retire after only a handful of laps because of a problem affecting the braking system of his car. At that stage, the precise cause had not yet been established because further investigations were still required.
The issue made it impossible for Lewis Hamilton to continue, both because of the car’s driveability and for clear safety reasons. Ferrari initially attempted to understand and manage the situation before retirement became unavoidable, with more detail emerging over the brake problem that ended Lewis Hamilton’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc impresses on hard tyres but cannot convert the pace
The overall result was far from exciting for Ferrari, both in terms of the Spanish Grand Prix itself and the wider situation surrounding the team after the Monza setback. Charles Leclerc attempted to rescue the weekend with a very strong performance, although ultimately it made little difference to the final outcome.
After choosing to start on the Hard tyres, Charles Leclerc remained on track rather than pitting under the Virtual Safety Car. That decision preserved track position and allowed him to demonstrate excellent race pace together with outstanding tyre management, but it did not eventually translate into the result Ferrari needed.
The strength of that long opening stint was one of the most encouraging aspects of the SF-26’s Madrid performance. The different compounds and stint behaviour from the race can be examined through the ScuderiaFans F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
Although Charles Leclerc led the race for a period, his rivals gradually closed the gap before his eventual pit stop, which came only a few laps from the finish. Ferrari then switched him onto Soft tyres in the hope of exploiting the fresher compound over the final part of the Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc warns Ferrari’s soft-tyre pace was ‘very poor’
Once on the Softs, however, Charles Leclerc was unable to launch a meaningful recovery. His pace was far from impressive and became one of the key talking points after the chequered flag. The Ferrari driver himself immediately highlighted the problem during his post-race radio exchange.
Race engineer Bryan Bozzi told Charles Leclerc: “P4. It was a very good stint on the Hard tyres.”
Charles Leclerc replied: “Yes, but on the Softs the pace was very poor. The reason is really… I’ll talk you through the details later.”
The comment suggested that there was more behind the lack of performance than the public radio exchange revealed. It could potentially relate to another issue with the SF-26, possibly involving set-up or balance, but Charles Leclerc did not disclose the details at that moment. His reluctance to explain further therefore leaves an important question hanging over Ferrari’s late-race performance.
The mystery around that final stint has already become an important part of the post-race discussion, with Charles Leclerc also addressing Ferrari’s soft-tyre problem and the suggestion that the team had become Formula 1’s fourth force.
A new warning sign for Ferrari after Madrid
The contrast between the two compounds was striking. Charles Leclerc was able to produce strong race pace and excellent tyre management on the Hards, yet the switch to Softs failed to provide the performance advantage that might normally be expected from the softer compound late in the race.
For Ferrari, that creates another technical question to investigate before the next Grand Prix. The SF-26 showed enough potential during parts of the Madrid weekend to suggest there was performance available, but the final stint exposed a weakness that Charles Leclerc clearly understood and was unwilling to discuss openly over the radio.
After arriving in Madrid with more prior circuit knowledge than its rivals, Ferrari therefore left Spain with fourth place for Charles Leclerc, a retirement for Lewis Hamilton and another unresolved issue surrounding the behaviour of the SF-26. The encouraging Hard-tyre performance provided one positive, but the “very poor” Soft-tyre pace described by Charles Leclerc is a warning the Maranello team will need to understand before moving on.
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