(Motorsport-Total.com) – The Ferrari SF-26 has had a decisive advantage over the competition so far: at the race start, the car is superior to everyone else on the grid. Charles Leclerc therefore managed to jump from fourth on the grid to first position at the 2026 Formula 1 season opener in Australia – even before the first corner.
Read more Last-minute world tour: How Audi CEO Döllner experienced a historic debut
But Leclerc does not expect to be able to catch his Formula 1 rivals off guard permanently: “Unfortunately, we probably won’t keep this advantage. I think as soon as all power units are running in the optimal working window, there won’t be a big difference between the cars at the start anymore.”
Ferrari currently has a particularly sophisticated system, “with which we reach this optimal window a bit more easily than others, especially compared to Mercedes. But as soon as Mercedes has figured out how to get its systems into this optimal window, the difference between the cars will probably no longer be particularly large.”
Mercedes should not be underestimated on this point, Leclerc emphasized: “They certainly won’t take long to figure out what to do. That’s why I don’t think this advantage will stay with us throughout the entire season.”
Ferrari realistic: Mercedes is currently too strong, but …
Overall, Ferrari “sold themselves quite well” at the opening race in Australia, Leclerc said. It will remain that way at the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend: “I don’t expect us to reach Mercedes’ level in qualifying. We are certainly closer because we didn’t get everything spot on in Melbourne, but we are not as good as Mercedes.”
Read more New «update» on Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari steering wheel causes excitement
Leclerc expects better chances over the race distance: “It should be closer there.” Leclerc did not go into detail at this point.
According to Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, the gap in qualifying is about eight-tenths of a second per lap, but only four to five-tenths in the race. “But if Mercedes has a clear track ahead, they pull away significantly. That is mainly related to energy deployment, and that will depend entirely on development over the next few weekends.”
“We will try to catch Mercedes. I believe we can do it,” said Hamilton. “But of course, there is no certainty.”
Read more Formula 1 rookie admits: «Completely different vibe than in Formula 2»