Charles Leclerc just dropped a brutally honest confession about his Ferrari struggles—and it’s got fans talking. The F1 star admitted he’s still not driving the way he wants, even after two straight podium finishes that have reignited the team’s title hopes.
Leclerc roared back to form with a win at Silverstone and a runner-up spot in Belgium, giving Ferrari a serious boost in the constructors’ championship fight. But behind the scenes, the Monegasque driver says he’s still wrestling with the 2026 regulations.
“I’m confident in saying I made a step forward,” Leclerc told reporters after the Belgian Grand Prix. “But whether I’m at the level where I want to perform? Not yet.”
He explained that the new cars force him to drive around certain issues, and that takes away his natural rhythm. “I cannot drive completely naturally, and that is slowing me down in some parts of the race,” he said.
The timing is interesting because teammate Lewis Hamilton seemed to click with the new rules much earlier this season. After finishing 86 points behind Leclerc in 2025, Hamilton jumped out to a 46-point lead over him after nine races in 2026. Now both Ferraris are consistently strong, but that also makes it tougher for Hamilton to chase down Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli for the drivers’ crown.
Leclerc admitted the inconsistency of these cars is frustrating. “With what you do with your driving, it’s never a given that you get the same deployment from one lap to the other,” he said. “That’s maybe the frustrating bit.”
He’s taking it race by race, but he’s not hiding the reality. “With these cars, it’s very difficult to be confident that if one race weekend goes well, the other one will,” Leclerc added.
So, is Leclerc’s honesty a sign he’s about to unlock his full potential—or will the frustration linger all season?
