Charles Leclerc has made it clear that winning more Formula 1 races matters more to him than securing second place in the 2026 Constructors’ Championship. Speaking ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, the Ferrari driver outlined his ambitions for the remaining races and explained why finishing the season with further victories would provide greater satisfaction than simply protecting Ferrari’s championship position.
Ferrari currently occupies second place in the Constructors’ Championship with 444 points, 134 behind the dominant Mercedes team. The Maranello-based outfit holds a 105-point advantage over third-placed McLaren and a 112-point lead over Red Bull in fourth, leaving Ferrari in a strong position to finish as runner-up.
Charles Leclerc prioritises Ferrari race wins over second place
Charles Leclerc is not particularly motivated by the prospect of finishing second in the Constructors’ Championship. Instead, the Monegasque wants Ferrari to focus on maximising its performance at every remaining Grand Prix, believing that stronger individual results would naturally secure the team’s championship position.
“Second place? Honestly, the most important thing is to focus on each individual race,” Charles Leclerc explained to F1 TV.
“We’ll try to achieve as many victories as possible between now and the end of the year. And as a result, that will bring second place in the Constructors’ Championship. But second place isn’t something I really care about. It’s certainly better than finishing third, but it wouldn’t be a particularly great satisfaction.”
“A greater satisfaction would be being able to fight for victory and win races before the end of 2026. That would also be a very good sign for starting next year well.”
The Ferrari driver’s comments highlight the distinction between protecting a strong championship position and demonstrating the performance needed to fight regularly for Grand Prix victories. Although Ferrari has established a substantial advantage over McLaren and Red Bull in the standings, Charles Leclerc believes returning to the top step of the podium would be a more meaningful achievement.
The championship picture can be explored in greater detail through the Ferrari vs F1 Rivals statistics comparison, which tracks the team’s performance against Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull and the other constructors throughout the season.
Ferrari faces a challenge from Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren
Charles Leclerc is also aware that Ferrari’s rivals will not stand still during the final part of the championship. Red Bull has made significant progress in recent Grands Prix, while Mercedes and McLaren remain important threats as teams continue developing their 2026 cars.
“Red Bull has taken a step forward over the last few races. Now it’s up to us to reverse the trend and get back ahead,” Charles Leclerc explained.
“I’m pretty sure that at some point Mercedes will get their upgrades working and return to where they were. And I’ve heard that McLaren will have a significant package here.”
Those developments add further importance to the Ferrari upgrades planned for Austin, with the Scuderia looking to respond to the improvements made by its competitors. Charles Leclerc’s objective is not simply to maintain Ferrari’s advantage in the Constructors’ Championship, but to reverse the recent competitive trend and return to the front.
The team’s performance at the previous round offered encouragement, with Charles Leclerc’s second-place finish in Singapore providing a positive result ahead of the latest development phase. The United States Grand Prix will offer another opportunity to assess whether Ferrari can take a further step towards challenging for victory.
Charles Leclerc addresses possibility of becoming a father during a race weekend
Alongside his comments about Ferrari’s sporting objectives, Charles Leclerc was also asked light-heartedly about the prospect of impending fatherhood and what would happen if the arrival coincided with a Formula 1 race weekend.
“I won’t miss a Grand Prix, no. But obviously I’ll do everything I can to be at home as much as possible between races. Maybe I’ll arrive late, but I’ll definitely race on Sunday.”
The Ferrari driver therefore made it clear that he intends to balance spending as much time at home as possible with maintaining his commitment to racing, even if that requires arriving later than usual during a Grand Prix weekend.
Charles Leclerc targets a stronger finish to the 2026 Formula 1 season
Charles Leclerc currently occupies fifth place in the Drivers’ Championship with 215 points. While Ferrari sits second in the Constructors’ standings, the Monegasque’s immediate priority is to fight for more victories before the season concludes.
The 2026 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas provides the next opportunity for Ferrari to measure itself against Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren.
For Charles Leclerc, the objective is clear: securing second place in the Constructors’ Championship would be preferable to finishing third, but returning Ferrari to winning
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