Charles Leclerc spoke on the eve of Ferrari’s first race of the 2026 Formula 1 season in Australia, offering insights and even a prediction: “My ambition is always…”. Here’s what the Monegasque driver had to say.
The Ferrari driver discussed his goals and mindset heading into the Australian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc is highly motivated, and while the objective for the #16 car remains the same as previous years, early-season hierarchies could see Ferrari initially trailing its main rivals.
Ferrari worked diligently over the winter, bringing to the track a bold and coherent car in all its concepts. The SF-26 is the result of the technical team led by Loic Serra, while the aerodynamic innovations spearheaded by Diego Tondi’s department demonstrate the team’s strong desire to win. Laurent Vasseur doesn’t hide his ambitions, and Ferrari is heading to Australia aiming for the top prizes, although Mercedes remains the favorite. Charles Leclerc is fully aware of the possible benchmarks and does not allow himself to be carried away by illusions. There are no proclamations, with an approach completely different from 2025: head down, focus, and hard work. Maranello is already innovating the reverse rear wing, which will not debut in Melbourne. Meanwhile, here are Charles Leclerc’s words to AutoSprint.
Leclerc: “Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull already seem prepared”
“My ambition is always to win the World Championship with Scuderia Ferrari. It’s a very strong feeling that will stay with me until we achieve it. At the beginning of my journey with Maranello, I was just a rookie. Now I see the team from a different perspective, I think I have grown, but there are still many things I want to improve on, even if they are small details. I constantly work on myself to always raise my level.
Our year? It would be a dream, but it’s too early to make predictions, especially because we have no idea of the true potential of our rivals. We don’t know who is really ahead at this moment. Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull already seem very well prepared and extremely strong. My feeling is that the four teams who recently fought for the championship are quite close, but Mercedes is perhaps a little ahead. We are there, with Red Bull still just a little above, I think. We’ll wait for real feedback in Australia.”
Once again, Charles Leclerc effectively passes the ball to his rivals. Mercedes may have a clear advantage, but it is impossible to quantify precisely. Ferrari will need to optimize every element of the SF-26 to ensure that Leclerc can extract maximum performance from the car. The ultimate dream remains winning the title with Scuderia Ferrari, but for now, it’s a matter of keeping feet on the ground.
Simply seeing a Ferrari back in contention for victories would already mark a significant step forward compared to the disastrous previous season. Everything is still open, and the first appointment in Australia will provide a clearer picture of the true hierarchies for 2026.
Charles Leclerc’s measured tone reflects a Ferrari team that has swapped optimism for clinical execution. While the technical “bravery” of the SF-26 and the influence of Loic Serra suggest that the Scuderia has finally found its design direction, Leclerc’s insistence on labeling Mercedes and Red Bull as the benchmarks shows a driver focused on the long game. After the hardships of 2025, the goal in Melbourne isn’t just to be fast, but to prove that the SF-26 provides a stable platform for a season-long title assault. If the Monegasque can maintain this “head down” mentality while the SF-26 continues to evolve with innovations like the upcoming rear wing, the dream of bringing the title back to Maranello may move from a romantic ambition to a technical reality.
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