Charles Leclerc has confirmed that the Ferrari power unit used at Monza is back in the engine pool and available for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but the Monegasque driver is refusing to reveal whether Ferrari will actually use it in Baku. With the choice potentially carrying major strategic consequences on a circuit where energy deployment is crucial, Charles Leclerc made clear that the Scuderia does not intend to give its rivals advance information about its plans.
The decision comes at an important moment for Ferrari. The Maranello team has never won in Baku despite nine Formula 1 races at the venue, while Charles Leclerc has accumulated five pole positions with Ferrari across Baku qualifying sessions. Repeating that level of one-lap performance may be more difficult with the SF-26 this season, although the car has frequently shown much stronger race pace. That contrast makes the question particularly relevant: could Ferrari’s best opportunity come on Sunday rather than in qualifying?
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari must optimise the power unit in Baku
“Well, I don’t know, but certainly this year qualifying is probably the area where we struggle the most in terms of the car’s performance, so if we managed to start near the front, I would be confident for the race,” Charles Leclerc explained. “However, before thinking about that, we have to prepare the weekend in the right way.”
The biggest variable, according to Charles Leclerc, could be how effectively Ferrari extracts performance from its power unit. That is especially important at Baku, where the long acceleration zones place particular emphasis on electrical energy management and deployment, an issue examined in more detail in Ferrari’s 2026 Baku energy challenge.
“With this year’s car there seems to be a lot of variability from one weekend to another, mainly linked to power-unit optimisation; on a track like this it will be a decisive factor and therefore I think that is where we need to focus,” Charles Leclerc continued. “It is definitely a circuit I love driving and one that has given me satisfaction in the past, especially in qualifying, while the race has been more difficult. Hopefully we can solve that aspect this year.”
Ferrari arrives in Azerbaijan after a difficult sequence of races, with questions continuing over how effectively the SF-26 can exploit its strengths. The broader concerns surrounding the car ahead of this weekend have also made the Ferrari Baku outlook particularly significant.
McLaren closes in as Mercedes remains Ferrari’s benchmark
Ferrari’s performances since the summer break have not been as convincing as those seen during the first part of the season. Charles Leclerc does not believe that can simply be explained by the characteristics of the circuits visited since Formula 1 resumed.
“It would not be correct to say that it depends on individual tracks, because we have raced at several different circuits since the summer break,” he said. “So no, I don’t think it is a track-related issue. I think McLaren has made big steps forward, while Mercedes has always been a reference point, a top team regardless of the place or the point in the season.”
Charles Leclerc believes the competitive picture has tightened considerably, particularly between Ferrari and McLaren. Mercedes, however, remains the benchmark that the Scuderia believes it must overcome.
“McLaren is definitely back in the fight. We have had a few difficulties here and there over the last few weekends and it is up to us to do a better job, but for sure the gap to McLaren is now very small, while Mercedes remains the team to beat.”
Charles Leclerc defends his wheel-to-wheel battles with Lewis Hamilton
Charles Leclerc was also asked about his increasingly frequent on-track battles with Lewis Hamilton, which have produced several close moments since Shanghai. Despite the scrutiny surrounding two Ferrari drivers fighting each other, the Monegasque driver remains comfortable with how the rivalry is developing.
“Yes, I am,” Charles Leclerc said when asked whether he was satisfied with the way they race wheel to wheel. “Of course, there have been moments when I pushed too far, or when Lewis did, but I think the key is to talk about it. I have been at Ferrari since 2019 and I know very well how every one of our actions is analysed and discussed excessively; people often draw the wrong conclusions from certain battles.”
For Charles Leclerc, communication between the two drivers is enough to keep the competition under control. Both have spent their careers competing at the highest level and understand that the desire to beat each other does not have to conflict with Ferrari’s wider objective.
“You only have to talk to Lewis to understand that we have been doing this our whole lives: we both want to win and there is competition, but we also want to win as a team and take Ferrari to ultimate success; that is the priority,” Charles Leclerc explained. “That said, I have enjoyed fighting Lewis. The beauty of Formula 1 is precisely the challenge of racing against the best, and Lewis is definitely one of them. For me it is a great challenge, and I enjoy it.”
The evolving intra-team contest can also be followed through the Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton season comparison, covering their qualifying and race performances across the campaign.
Charles Leclerc admits Monza Turn 2 battle went too far
The question of Ferrari’s rules of engagement inevitably brought the discussion back to Monza, where the two drivers produced one of their closest battles of the season. Charles Leclerc said the internal boundaries are already sufficiently clear and do not necessarily need to be written down in exhaustive detail.
“Of course. As far as Turn 2 at Monza is concerned, I have said several times that it is a situation we never want to see again,” Charles Leclerc acknowledged. “From my side, I went too far there, but it is an experience I have already been through. I think it is quite clear without needing to put everything down in black and white.”
However, Charles Leclerc also believes Ferrari receives disproportionate attention whenever its two drivers race each other aggressively. He pointed to other leading teams experiencing similarly close encounters at Monza without generating the same level of discussion.
“I have the feeling that the issue gets talked about and analysed excessively when the red cars are involved, and I don’t think that is fair. At Monza, if we look at the four top teams, three of them had similar battles and ended up with cars on the grass, yet in the end people keep talking only about the Ferraris. I don’t think that is fair.”
Ferrari keeps Charles Leclerc’s Baku ADUO2 plan secret
The most strategically significant topic concerned the ADUO2 power unit used at Monza. Ferrari has been evaluating its engine rotation ahead of Baku, where taking another unit could potentially create a grid penalty and force Charles Leclerc into a recovery drive.
Asked whether a comeback similar to Kimi Antonelli’s charge from the back of the grid to victory could be realistic if Ferrari accepts a penalty, Charles Leclerc was cautious.
“Well, Kimi went from last to first, so I don’t know whether that would be a realistic scenario for us if we had to serve the penalty,” Charles Leclerc said. “However, at the moment, the unit is part of the pool of engines available to us.”
The key positive for Ferrari is that the Monza engine remains usable. The Scuderia therefore retains another option as it determines the most effective configuration for a circuit where power-unit performance could prove decisive. The technical evolution from the earlier specification is examined further in the analysis of Ferrari’s ADUO2 versus ADUO1 power units.
Charles Leclerc, however, had no intention of revealing whether that engine would actually be installed for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
“I don’t want to go into too much detail about the plan of action or which engine we will use — or not use — because it is a strategic matter that we would prefer not to reveal,” he explained. “But it is definitely a valid option among the engines we can use, which is a positive aspect.”
Turn 15 remains Charles Leclerc’s biggest Baku warning
Beyond Ferrari’s technical choices, Baku demands a particular approach from the driver. Charles Leclerc knows that better than most, having produced exceptional qualifying performances around the Azerbaijan street circuit while also experiencing how little margin for error the walls provide.
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, one critical point is definitely Turn 15. I have ended up in the wall there two or three times in the past, so this year I will try to avoid it,” Charles Leclerc joked.
The underlying point, however, was serious. According to the Monegasque driver, street circuits reward commitment more than almost any other type of venue because drivers constantly have to judge how much risk they are willing to accept.
“Joking aside, I think the secret of every street circuit is commitment, meaning how willing you are to push to the limit. It is always a question of balancing that against the risk you want to take,” Charles Leclerc explained.
Precision is equally important. The difference between leaving a small safety margin and extracting the absolute maximum can be measured in only a few centimetres, particularly during the final qualifying runs.
“For me, what matters most is commitment and precision: using even those extra two, three or five centimetres to get closer to the wall makes a big difference on tracks like this. Everything depends on how far you push beyond the limit, especially in Q3. That is exactly the aspect I enjoy most about these circuits.”
Ferrari therefore heads into Baku facing two closely connected challenges: finding the optimum power-unit configuration and giving Charles Leclerc an SF-26 capable of exploiting his traditional strength around the street circuit. With the Monza ADUO2 available but its use still deliberately undisclosed, one of the most important Ferrari decisions of the weekend may remain hidden until the cars leave the garage. The complete timings for the event are available in the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule.
Leave a Reply