Charles Leclerc spoke about his first impressions of the Ferrari 2026 in the simulator, revealing new insights ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix 2025. The Monegasque driver of the Scuderia Ferrari shared his expectations for the upcoming car, discussing the driving characteristics and his initial feelings behind the wheel of the virtual SF-26.
Regarding the current season, in which Ferrari has yet to claim a victory, Charles Leclerc was very candid. “It’s purely a matter of performance. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong, I think we did a good job maximizing the car all year, but the performance of the vehicle has never been quite enough. That’s what we’re missing.” The SF-25 was a car that struggled from the outset, and Leclerc reiterated this point in different words. The gap created by McLaren with their project and the way Red Bull developed their car widened that deficit. Additionally, Charles emphasized that Ferrari deliberately sacrificed development in the final part of this season to focus strongly on 2026. Here are the first impressions (via AutoRacer) from the #16 driver on the new Ferrari being developed in Maranello.
Charles Leclerc: “First simulator session very strange, raised many questions…”
“Where will we be in 2026? I really hope we can turn things in our favor. I don’t know, it’s a secret here in the paddock: we don’t know where the others are or where we will position ourselves relative to them. With so many changes from this year to the next, our goal is obviously to get everything right, but there are so many small details that can make a difference in terms of competitiveness that we need to do everything properly. That’s what we are focusing on at the moment. I feel that this year we sacrificed the end of the season to focus entirely on next year. So all the elements indicate that we are working in the right direction and correctly. I don’t think much about the outcome; I focus more on the process and on what we can do to be as prepared as possible.”
As for his first impressions in the simulator, Charles Leclerc explained: “I enjoy the challenge of thinking differently about driving. From what was a very strange first session in the simulator, many questions arose in everyone’s mind at the factory. The process of thinking as a group about smart ways to tackle certain problems we will face with the 2026 car was very interesting.” Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have expressed positive comments on the latest simulator model’s progress, but challenges will remain. Driving style will change significantly due to increased electric energy management.
“I think even as a driver, it affects our sensations a lot. We need to understand the tools required to handle different situations, such as the critical battles we will face with other cars during the race. For the fun part of driving itself, I will need to wait to drive the real car before making any judgments. It is difficult to truly experience those sensations in the simulator. Surely, next year there will be much more to think about when driving, especially during the race, to manage the energy we will have added,” concluded the Monegasque.
With the entire grid facing the biggest technical shake-up in over a decade, Charles Leclerc’s honest and detailed comments have only increased the anticipation for Ferrari’s 2026 car – a machine that could either launch the team back to the front or leave them playing catch-up once again.
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