Charles Leclerc has spoken candidly about the mental challenge of dealing with criticism on social media, revealing that he deliberately distanced himself from online opinions during one of the most frustrating periods of his Formula 1 career. The Ferrari driver admitted that constant swings in public perception can easily distort reality, making it essential to focus on the people and information that genuinely matter.
The Monegasque arrives at the Belgian Grand Prix with renewed confidence after ending a lengthy victory drought by winning the British Grand Prix, his first Formula 1 triumph since the 2024 United States Grand Prix. That success marked the end of a difficult spell in which Ferrari struggled to provide Charles Leclerc with the balance and confidence he needed to consistently fight at the front.
While Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a strong run of performances, collecting four podium finishes in five races, including victory in Barcelona, the Monegasque endured several challenging weekends as he searched for the right feeling behind the wheel of the SF-26.
Finding the right balance became Ferrari’s biggest challenge
After showing encouraging pace early in the 2026 season, Charles Leclerc’s campaign became increasingly complicated as Ferrari battled to unlock the full potential of its latest car. The Monegasque repeatedly highlighted problems with braking confidence and overall balance, factors that prevented him from extracting maximum performance over a race weekend.
Those issues reached their lowest point during the Canadian Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc described the event as one of the most difficult weekends of his Formula 1 career. Rather than questioning his own talent, however, Ferrari focused on understanding the technical reasons behind the sudden drop in competitiveness.
Engineers eventually identified a possible solution by adapting part of Lewis Hamilton’s braking configuration.The 28-year-old switched to Carbon Industrie brake discs while retaining other Brembo components, a change that immediately improved the feeling he had been missing for several races.
The revised setup restored confidence under braking and helped Charles Leclerc reconnect with the SF-26, laying the foundations for the performance that ultimately led to victory at Silverstone.
Charles Leclerc refused to let social media define his season
Despite the criticism that appeared online during his difficult run of results, Charles Leclerc explained that he made a conscious decision to disconnect from social media instead of allowing outside opinions to affect his mindset.
Speaking to the media, including ScuderiaFans.com, Charles Leclerc explained that he did not view negative comments as motivation. Instead, he admitted that persistent criticism is naturally unpleasant for any athlete and that the healthiest response was to reduce exposure to it as much as possible.
According to Charles Leclerc, Formula 1 fans and commentators often change their opinions extremely quickly, with drivers capable of being praised one weekend and heavily criticised the next. Because of that, he chose to avoid reading reactions online and instead concentrate on the technical feedback coming from Ferrari’s engineers and the people directly involved in improving the car.
Charles Leclerc said he deliberately stayed away from his phone and ignored external noise so he could maintain a clear understanding of the real situation inside the team rather than allowing public opinion to influence his confidence.
Belief in his own ability never disappeared
Throughout Ferrari’s difficult period, Charles Leclerc insisted that he never questioned his talent as a Formula 1 driver. He explained that he always believed the disappointing performances were caused by technical limitations rather than a sudden decline in his abilities.
In his view, the challenge was simply to rediscover the connection with the SF-26 that had disappeared over several races. Once Ferrari found a direction that suited his driving style again, the pace returned almost immediately.
That renewed confidence has already translated into results, with the Monegasque returning to the top step of the podium and Ferrari once again emerging as a genuine contender for victories. Together with Lewis Hamilton, who has also played a major role in the development of the SF-26 throughout the season, Charles Leclerc now heads into the second half of the championship determined to build on Ferrari’s recent momentum.
For Charles Leclerc, the experience has reinforced an important lesson: in Formula 1, confidence should come from understanding the car and trusting the work taking place inside the team, not from the constantly changing opinions found on social media.
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