Charles Leclerc praises Ferrari’s upgrades but issues warning over F1 development race. Charles Leclerc: Ferrari's upgrades are working, but the fight is far from over.

Charles Leclerc has welcomed Ferrari’s aggressive development programme in 2026 but has also warned that the Formula 1 competitive order can shift in an instant, with every new upgrade capable of changing the balance of power.

Ferrari arrives at the Austrian Grand Prix with growing optimism as the team prepares to introduce the first stage of its ADUO internal combustion engine upgrade. Although this represents only the beginning of a longer development programme, the package is expected to provide another step forward for the SF-26.

Lewis Hamilton recently revealed that Ferrari had already unlocked a more aggressive hybrid deployment map during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in Barcelona, helping extract additional performance from the power unit. The new ADUO 1 specification, combined with Shell’s updated fuel, is expected to deliver an estimated gain of around seven to eight horsepower, worth approximately one tenth of a second per lap at the Red Bull Ring.

Charles Leclerc encouraged by Ferrari’s development pace

Reflecting on Ferrari’s progress, Charles Leclerc praised the relentless effort being made by both the race team and the engineers back in Maranello.

“The team is in a very good place. Seeing so much innovation on our car since the beginning of the year, and seeing the people back at the factory pushing so hard on the production side to keep bringing new upgrades, is a really positive sign. It shows how hard everyone is pushing, and it’s great to see that the effort is paying off with the performance we’re seeing on track.”

The atmosphere inside Ferrari has changed significantly over recent months. Thanks in part to the technical leadership of Loïc Serra and the expertise brought into the team from outside Maranello, the SF-26 has made remarkable progress. Since the opening race of the season, Ferrari is estimated to have gained around seven to eight tenths of a second in overall performance, exceeding even the team’s internal expectations.

While the major development phase is now largely complete, Ferrari’s attention is expected to shift towards smaller, circuit-specific updates designed to maximise performance at individual venues throughout the remainder of the championship.

Leclerc: “Things in the paddock move very quickly”

Despite Ferrari’s encouraging momentum, Charles Leclerc stressed that the development race remains incredibly volatile and warned against becoming complacent.

“We have to be careful because things in the paddock move one way or the other very quickly. Three or four weeks ago we had a completely different picture of our championship, and now it feels like everything is starting to come together. More than in any other season, every upgrade can make a huge difference. You can feel like you’re on the right path until a rival team arrives with a major upgrade package that puts you back to square one. Our job is simply to keep pushing as hard as possible, and we’ll see where we are at the end of the year.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.

Charles Leclerc’s message reflects the reality of the current Formula 1 season, where the relentless development battle has become just as important as execution on race weekends. With Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull all continuing to introduce new technical packages, maintaining momentum could prove just as challenging as achieving it in the first place.