Charles Leclerc “probably” won’t like drivin...

Charles Leclerc has given a regarding replace on the brand new Formulation 1 vehicles for the 2026 season – saying “it’s not essentially the most pleasing race automotive I’ve pushed”.

His evaluation comes after he was requested how a lot time he was spending honing the brand new challenger for subsequent 12 months on the workforce’s Maranello HQ.

Leclerc revealed that he’s spending half the simulator time on the 2025 automotive and the opposite half on subsequent 12 months’s mannequin, which is able to see F1 endure its greatest ever regulation change.

Leclerc is at the moment in fifth place within the drivers’ championship, some 94 factors behind chief Oscar Piastri, as Ferrari have struggled for efficiency this season.

When requested about his expertise driving the brand new fashions for 2026 on the workforce’s simulator, he mentioned: “Subsequent 12 months goes to be tremendous essential. This 12 months we have a couple of issues coming till the top of the season which can be already deliberate.

“For subsequent 12 months all the pieces is new, so you’ve got acquired to consider it and that is what we’re clearly doing. It may be essential to be beginning on the suitable foot subsequent 12 months. So we’re engaged on that.”

When quizzed additional he added: “Let’s say it isn’t essentially the most pleasing race automotive I’ve pushed thus far, however we’re nonetheless in a second the place the mission is comparatively new.

“My hope depends on the truth that it is going to evolve fairly a bit within the subsequent few months, however I believe it is no secret that I believe the rules for subsequent 12 months are going to be much more… in all probability much less pleasing for drivers to drive.

“So, I’m not an enormous fan of it for now, nevertheless it’s the best way it’s. There’s a problem and I would really like the problem of maximising a really completely different automotive to what it’s in the meanwhile. However do I get pleasure from it? In all probability not.”

Leclerc’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton is an extra 25 factors adrift and has been outspoken about his irritating begin to his Ferrari profession.

Nevertheless, Leclerc stays assured the 2 can work collectively to resolve the workforce’s present issues, regardless of their completely different driving kinds.

He mentioned: “I am not involved in any respect as a result of it is at all times an enormous speaking level exterior the workforce, however inside the workforce, we have all of the instruments to adapt a automotive to my method when it comes to driving fashion or to Lewis’s fashion.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Picture by: Ferrari

“So I do not assume that is the issue, and I simply need the quickest automotive attainable subsequent 12 months. That is precisely what Lewis desires, after which wherever we’re subsequent 12 months, then I am going to arrange the automotive in a method that I like, and Lewis will just do the identical.

“I am actually not frightened about it. I believe we’re in a time the place now in Formulation 1, the engineers and the place the expertise is at, we simply want the quickest automotive.

“We simply put the quickest automotive on observe, after which we have all the liberty obtainable. It is not like again in 10 or 15 years in the past the place you have been a bit caught right into a nook when it comes to steadiness and you did not have the instruments to make the automotive go quicker. Now we do have these instruments, so I am positively not frightened.”