(Motorsport-Total.com) – Charles Leclerc has found his mojo again with the victory at the 2026 British Grand Prix and attributes this to changes behind the scenes. The Ferrari driver was able to overtake Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes in the first lap and celebrate his first Grand Prix win since the 2024 United States Grand Prix, his ninth overall.
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This ends a dry spell for him in the 2026 season. In the last three Grand Prix, Leclerc had only scored four points and had unfortunate accidents in the Monaco race and in the Barcelona qualifying.
This created an interesting situation at Ferrari. After easily beating his teammate Lewis Hamilton last year, Leclerc fell back somewhat this year. He had trouble adapting to the new cars as well as the seven-time world champion.
But after qualifying second for Sunday’s race, just ahead of third-placed Hamilton, Leclerc revealed that he had regained the feel for the car.
“That means a lot,” Leclerc said after the win. “When it gets difficult, and it was like that for me in the last few races, a lot of negativity surrounds you and narratives are spun. That is never a pleasant working environment.”
“But you have to stay focused and keep working hard. And we see the result today. I am incredibly proud of the whole team. They pushed me and helped me find the feel for the car again.”
“It’s just a first step, and I still have to prove it on different tracks. But on a track like this, where confidence is crucial, I wouldn’t have managed it without this feeling. That’s really good.”
Two approaches for Leclerc
After qualifying, Leclerc revealed that there were “two approaches” for him to regain his form. On the one hand, he could “completely change his driving style” to “reproduce what Lewis does.” On the other hand, he could push in his “own direction.”
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The Monegasque chose the latter option and adapted the car more to his driving style. Thus, he sticks to what “I know has worked in the past,” ignoring recent external criticism.
“Whenever there is so much negativity, it is by no means pleasant,” Leclerc said. “So you try to ignore this noise as best as you can.”
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“I try not to look at my phone but to focus on the essentials to keep an overview of the situation. In this sport, you quickly go from hero to zero or from zero to hero, and that in about two days.”
“That can influence your perspective. My job was to simply block out this noise, not to look at or listen to anything.”
“I know I didn’t become a bad driver overnight. It was just a matter of time until I would find the feel for the car again.”
“These cars are very special. They are completely different from what we have known since we started racing. Therefore, it takes a bit more time to get used to them.”
“I was really strong at the start of the season, but then I lost the feel for the car. We changed some things on the car, and it took a bit more time than I would have liked until it was how I wanted it again.”
“Additionally, we had problems [on Sundays] that cost me many points. Overall, it was not a nice situation, but I am glad I was able to free myself from it.”
Comeback in the World Championship fight?
After nine race weekends in the 2026 season, Leclerc is 39 points behind Hamilton in the standings. Therefore, he knows he must consistently reproduce this form.
“It’s just the beginning,” Leclerc said. “It’s one race, and you must not get lost in the belief that the war is over.”
“The fight with this car was really enormous recently, and I can’t guarantee that it’s over. So I will keep working and try to reach this feeling more often in the future.”
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