Charles Leclerc uncovers hidden tire struggles behind brutal F1 Austrian GP drop-off. Charles Leclerc pinpoints Ferrari's biggest issue after disappointing Austrian GP.

Charles Leclerc: “It wasn’t just the engine, I was overheating the rear tyres”

After the promise shown in qualifying, where he came close to securing a front-row start, the Austrian Grand Prix turned into a bitter disappointment for Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver endured a difficult afternoon at the Red Bull Ring, eventually finishing only eighth after struggling for pace almost from the opening laps.

Having started near the front, the Monegasque quickly found himself slipping backwards as rival after rival found a way past. Ferrari once again displayed the weaknesses that had already surfaced during Friday’s practice sessions, with the SF-26’s power unit deficit becoming particularly evident on a circuit where straight-line speed is so important. However, speaking after the race, Charles Leclerc stressed that the engine was far from being the only reason behind Ferrari’s disappointing performance.

Charles Leclerc: “The hard tyres were completely finished during my second stint”

Charles Leclerc acknowledged that Ferrari is still struggling in terms of engine performance, especially against Mercedes-powered rivals and Red Bull, but insisted there were additional issues affecting his race.

“At the moment we’re really struggling with the engine. In every battle I had against the Red Bulls and the Mercedes-powered cars, there wasn’t much I could do. But it’s not all about the engine. Today the pace simply wasn’t there, especially on my side of the garage, although I think the team as a whole struggled much more than we did in Barcelona, and I struggled even more,” he explained.

His lack of race pace eventually forced Ferrari to change strategy. After losing positions to both Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris, the Monegasque made an additional pit stop late in the race, switching to a three-stop strategy.

“It was a very close decision between stopping twice or three times. We chose three stops because we had nothing left to lose and the tyres on my second set of hard compounds were completely worn out,” Charles Leclerc said. “Unfortunately, strategy always looks wrong when you don’t have the pace, but today I don’t believe strategy was the main issue.”

A difficult period continues for Ferrari

The disappointing result at the Red Bull Ring immediately erased the optimism created by Ferrari’s impressive qualifying performance, where the 28-year-old had looked capable of challenging at the front.

“I just have to keep working. Yesterday we made a step forward by making several changes to the car and choosing a slightly different direction,” he explained. “Today, though, it was extremely difficult from the very first laps. I immediately felt like I didn’t have enough performance. During the opening two laps I even had the feeling I wasn’t pushing hard enough. Later things settled down slightly and it became a bit better, but the overall performance was still far from where it needed to be.”

Asked why Ferrari’s pace had dropped so dramatically compared to qualifying, Charles Leclerc admitted the answer is not straightforward.

“It’s very difficult to understand. I don’t think anyone really understands why performance changes so much from one weekend to another. In Barcelona we were probably one of the strongest cars on Sunday and the upgrades we introduced worked well. I don’t think it’s all about the upgrade package. These Formula 1 cars are incredibly sensitive to every little detail, and as soon as the setup isn’t in the right operating window, you pay a huge price. Today was a perfect example of that.”

Charles Leclerc also highlighted another key weakness that severely compromised his race pace.

“Yesterday I went back towards a setup that worked well for me last season. This year, however, it has never really worked. I had no rear grip, I was constantly sliding the car and overheating the rear tyres. It was extremely difficult. We have a lot of work to do because, honestly, at the moment it doesn’t feel right. Qualifying was better, but once again the race didn’t go well. At times like these I just need to keep my head down, continue working and try to unlock the full potential of this car.”