Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari cannot slow down the development pace in the 2026 Formula 1 season. After a Hungarian GP below expectations, the Monegasque stated that updates have a much greater impact under the new regulations and defended that the team maintain an aggressive stance in the evolution of the SF-26.
Read more F1: Albon talks about Williams’ dedication to fixing mistakes: «Greatest effort I’ve ever seen»
Ferrari arrived at the Hungaroring surrounded by the expectation of fighting for victory, but finished only in fourth and fifth places with Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. With this, the team entered the summer break 72 points behind Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship, while Hamilton occupies second place among the drivers, 59 points behind Kimi Antonelli.
According to Leclerc, the car’s performance was inconsistent throughout the race. “We paid the price at the start, but actually, we were not particularly strong at any point in the race,” he said.
“We had many fluctuations, and that is exactly what we need to work on, finding consistency with this car.”
Read more F1: Updated Honda engine impresses in Aston Martin’s first test
Leclerc also drew attention to the unpredictable behavior of the SF-26 between the two team drivers. “It was very complicated in some stints for Lewis and in others for me. It’s a bit strange how everything seems so uncorrelated,” he explained.
In the Monegasque’s assessment, the technical scenario of the new generation of cars means that each update package has a much greater impact than in the last years of the ground effect era. Therefore, he considers it essential that Ferrari continues to invest heavily in development.
“The updates are much more significant than they were in the past, because they allow much bigger performance steps. It will be important to continue to be ahead in this aspect and remain aggressive, as we have been with our development program,” Leclerc concluded.
Read more F1: Hadjar sees alignment with Verstappen as «good news» at Red Bull
