Ironically, on the very weekend that Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari reached their highest point in recent years—ending a victory drought that had lasted since 2024—Charles Leclerc found himself facing one of the most difficult periods of his Ferrari career.
As often happens in motorsport, when things start going wrong, everything seems to move in the same direction. The Spanish Grand Prix weekend proved exactly that for the Monegasque driver. Arriving in Barcelona determined to bounce back from the disappointment of Monaco, Charles Leclerc first suffered a costly qualifying mistake and then retired late in the race, marking his second consecutive DNF and causing him to lose further ground in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
Charles Leclerc: “It’s a difficult moment and I need to take a step forward”
Reflecting on both his retirement and his recent struggles, Charles Leclerc openly admitted that he needs to improve his own performances if he wants to return to the front.
“We simply need good results and a clean weekend overall,” Charles Leclerc said while discussing the difficult circumstances surrounding his race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
“It’s true that over the last four weekends there have been technical issues that have been difficult to manage, and then today we had another problem. But I also haven’t been at the level I need to be. Lewis Hamilton has been one step ahead since Canada, and now it’s my turn to take a step forward.”
“I’m happy for the team because they deserve it so much, and I’m happy for Lewis Hamilton as well because he has worked incredibly hard and is much more comfortable with the car now. It’s my turn to work and that’s all there is to it.”
The Ferrari driver then explained the technical issue that ultimately ended what appeared likely to be a fifth-place finish: “Honestly, I’ve come through four races that have been extremely difficult and I can’t pretend otherwise. A lot of things are building up. Yesterday I made a mistake myself, and today we had a mechanical problem.”
“I had a Brake-by-Wire failure and lost my power steering. I turned into the corner and suddenly the steering wheel became extremely heavy. Obviously, that was the end of my race.”
Taking responsibility and looking ahead
Despite the disappointment, Charles Leclerc was keen to acknowledge the achievements of both Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton, while accepting responsibility for his own difficulties.
“I don’t want to take any credit for today’s victory because I don’t think I contributed much to the team’s success. I think Lewis Hamilton and the team fully deserved this win on their own. I would have liked to be further up the order and fighting in the middle of the battle, but if I wasn’t there, it’s because of me. Now it’s up to me to raise my level, regain confidence with this car, put all the pieces together and hopefully finally enjoy a clean weekend.”
“I can’t wait to have straightforward race weekends again, find my rhythm and hopefully return to fighting at the front very soon.”
No jealousy, only disappointment
Charles Leclerc was also asked how it felt to watch his teammate cross the finish line first while his own race ended prematurely.
The Monegasque responded with notable honesty: “There’s no jealousy at all. But to be completely honest, while I’m very happy for Ferrari and very happy for Lewis Hamilton, disappointment is the feeling I’ll be taking home with me. Now I need to reset, hopefully have a cleaner weekend in Austria, and then we’ll see what happens.”
Ferrari’s upgrades provide hope for the future
One positive takeaway for Charles Leclerc was the strong potential shown by the SF-26 after Ferrari introduced its latest upgrade package in Barcelona.
“This is a team sport, and I’m extremely happy for Ferrari and also for Lewis Hamilton. Huge congratulations to him because he has been performing at a very high level for quite some time now and he was incredible today. Congratulations as well to the whole team.”
When asked whether Ferrari’s performance gave him confidence for the future, Charles Leclerc’s answer was clear: “Yes, absolutely. Especially because we brought a lot of upgrades this weekend and they seem to be working, which is a very good sign for the team that is pushing massively on development. It’s great to see that progress, but now I need to make sure that I’m up there at the front alongside him.”
While Lewis Hamilton celebrated a historic first Ferrari victory in Barcelona, Charles Leclerc left Spain with mixed emotions. The pace of the upgraded SF-26 has given him renewed hope for the remainder of the season, but the Ferrari driver knows that his immediate priority is to rediscover confidence, eliminate mistakes and return to the level required to fight consistently at the front of the Formula 1 field.
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