(Motorsport-Total.com) – Charles Leclerc is convinced that Ferrari can achieve “enormous gains” in all areas with its Formula 1 car for 2026. According to the Monegasque, this applies equally to the power unit, the chassis, aerodynamics, and tire management.
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Leclerc emphasizes that it would be wrong if the team focused exclusively on engine performance. “Certainly, the Mercedes power units have a big advantage over us at the moment,” Leclerc explained to Sky Sports F1.
“That is a focus,” Leclerc continued, “but we must not forget that there are also enormous gains in the development of the chassis, aerodynamics, and in getting the tires into the right window. All of that makes the difference. We can’t change the engine at the moment anyway. But until we are ready, we must improve absolutely everything on the car.”
In Maranello, they make no secret of the fact that they are behind the German brand in terms of power unit performance. This is likely partly due to Mercedes’ clever interpretation of the rules regarding the engine’s compression ratio. However, this gap will be closed after the fifth round of the season in Canada.
Additional upgrades through ADUO mechanism?
Nevertheless, Ferrari needs upgrades for the powertrain. Here, the so-called ADUO mechanism could offer possibilities: manufacturers that are between two and four percent behind the performance of the best engine are allowed to carry out an additional upgrade. Those who are more than four percent behind even receive two. This process theoretically takes place after the sixth, twelfth, and 18th race weekends.
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Leclerc lost about two-tenths of a second per lap in the early stages of the Japanese Grand Prix to Oscar Piastri and George Russell. He felt inferior to his rivals because he did not perceive the performance to the same extent. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton complained about “even less” performance than his teammate in the same race.
Vasseur: “Must take a step in every area”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur shares his driver’s assessment and promised to continue working hard to close the gap to Mercedes. “We know that we have a deficit in straight-line performance and have to work on it, but it is what it is,” the Frenchman commented.
Vasseur added: “Certainly we have a lot of work ahead of us, just like everyone else in the paddock. It is the beginning of the car’s homologation, which means we have countless things to improve. After three races, we now have good data to understand the car’s competitiveness and see where we are reasonably okay and where we are not. This means that performance comes from everywhere, but we have to take a step in every single area of performance.”
Finally, the team principal added: “I am sure that applies to us, but it will apply to everyone on the grid. It is more about making a bigger leap than the others than just taking a step.”
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