Following a disappointing weekend in Austria, Charles Leclerc spoke during Formula 1’s traditional Thursday media day at Silverstone about the work Ferrari has carried out since leaving Spielberg and what the team has learned from its unexpected drop in performance.
The Austrian Grand Prix marked a clear step backwards after Ferrari’s encouraging performance in Barcelona just one week earlier. Until then, the Scuderia had generally struggled more over a single qualifying lap while displaying stronger race pace on Sundays. In Austria, however, that pattern was reversed, with a competitive qualifying performance followed by a much more difficult Grand Prix.
“We saw a very clear trend. We were strong on Saturday but not on Sunday. I’ve worked a lot to understand what happened, and I believe I’ve identified some of the elements,” the Monegasque driver explained.
Charles Leclerc also made it clear that Ferrari’s recent struggles cannot be attributed to a single issue. Since Monaco, the team has modified several aspects of the SF-26, while the upgrade package introduced in Barcelona had given him considerably more confidence behind the wheel.
Leclerc: “Austria was a difficult weekend, but we’ve understood some things”
According to Charles Leclerc, the Spanish Grand Prix was actually much stronger than the final result suggested.
“In Barcelona the feeling with the car was much better, and our pace was also very competitive. I don’t consider that weekend a performance issue. My mistake in qualifying and the technical problem during the race simply led to a poor result.”
Austria, however, exposed several weaknesses once again, particularly during the race. Ferrari believes it has already identified the main areas that require attention, although Charles Leclerc avoided discussing the technical details and instead chose to lower expectations ahead of the next two Grands Prix.
“We’ll change a few things, but it’s also fair to say that the next two races will probably be very difficult for us.”
His comments reinforce the belief that Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps—two circuits featuring long full-throttle sections and placing significant demands on engine performance—are not expected to suit the current characteristics of the Ferrari SF-26.
Is the SF-26 better suited to Lewis Hamilton’s driving style?
Charles Leclerc also dismissed any suggestion that Ferrari’s current internal balance has changed for political reasons. According to the Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton’s recent improvement is simply part of the natural fluctuations that occur over the course of a Formula 1 season, rather than the result of any shift in team priorities.
“Performance swings happen. Last year they went one way, this year they’re going the other way. My focus is simply on my own performance.”
Discussing the competition with his teammate, Charles Leclerc acknowledged that Lewis Hamilton has taken another step forward this season in terms of both competitiveness and his integration within Ferrari: “I haven’t noticed any change in the team’s approach. Lewis definitely feels much more comfortable within the team now, and that always helps.”
The Monegasque continued: “Lewis now knows practically everyone, and he’s just as comfortable as I am. Together we’re continuing to improve the way we work and make changes to our processes.”
Leclerc on the Austrian qualifying controversy
Charles Leclerc also addressed the discussion surrounding yellow flags in qualifying following the closing stages of Austrian Grand Prix qualifying. The Ferrari driver said he does not support the idea of automatically handing out three-place grid penalties to drivers who trigger a yellow or red flag during qualifying, believing that such a rule would be too harsh if applied uniformly across every circuit.
A well-known example is Monaco in 2021, when the Monegasque driver secured pole position despite crashing at the Swimming Pool section on his final qualifying lap, effectively freezing the order at the top of the timesheets.
According to Charles Leclerc, the issue at the Red Bull Ring last weekend was not the regulations themselves, but rather how they were applied.
“For me, that situation clearly should have been an immediate double yellow flag. That was the real mistake.”
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