Charles Leclerc reveals he may have found the cause of his Ferrari SF-26 struggles. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc explains improved understanding of SF-26 handling problems.

Charles Leclerc spoke during the media day ahead of the 2026 British Grand Prix about the difficulties he has experienced finding confidence in Ferrari’s SF-26 and whether there is a solution in sight. The Monegasque believes progress has been made, saying: “I think I’ve identified…”

Speaking to the media at Silverstone, Charles Leclerc addressed the problems that have affected him over the past few race weekends while expressing cautious optimism ahead of the British Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver explained that he believes he has identified some of the factors behind his lack of confidence in the SF-26, offering a small but encouraging sign before one of the fastest circuits on the Formula 1 calendar.

The driver of the #16 Ferrari is undoubtedly going through a difficult spell. Following his retirement in Monaco, which was caused by a major brake issue, things have only become more complicated. The Monegasque was effectively forced to switch to Carbon Industrie brake discs, the same specification Lewis Hamilton has been using since the Japanese Grand Prix.

At the same time, the SF-26 has not suited Charles Leclerc’s driving style, and he has admitted that this generation of Formula 1 cars simply does not inspire the confidence he needs to extract maximum performance. Even so, he has continued working extensively to improve his feeling with the car. In Barcelona, he made a mistake during qualifying before seeing his race end with a power steering failure, while the Austrian Grand Prix proved to be another frustrating weekend as Ferrari struggled with extremely high tyre degradation.

Can things improve at Silverstone?

Charles Leclerc: “The next two races will be very difficult”

“We’ve seen a very clear trend. We’ve been strong on Saturdays but not on Sundays. I’ve worked a lot to understand what happened, and I think I’ve identified some of the factors. We arrived in Barcelona with a completely new package. The feeling was much better, and the race pace was also strong. I don’t consider that weekend difficult from a performance point of view, but my mistake in qualifying and the technical problem during the race resulted in a poor outcome.

“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. The best thing I can do is keep my head down and continue pushing, no matter which position we’re fighting for.”

Charles Leclerc has no intention of giving up and remains fully committed to improving his confidence with the SF-26. While the driver’s feeling with the car can potentially be improved through setup changes and simulator work, Ferrari’s wider performance limitations are far more difficult to solve.

The power unit deficit is still expected to be a significant handicap at circuits like Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. Both tracks demand huge amounts of energy because they feature relatively few heavy braking zones and many high-speed corners taken at full throttle, making energy recovery and deployment a major challenge for every team on the grid.

Ferrari will therefore hope that the SF-26’s excellent chassis balance and aerodynamic efficiency can at least compensate for some of the power shortfall and allow the Scuderia to remain competitive against its direct rivals.

“This isn’t a weekend where we expect to be particularly strong. I think it’s for the same reasons as Austria, where there were already a lot of straights, but here there are even more. So I’m expecting a difficult weekend for us,” Charles Leclerc concluded.