Charles Leclerc arrived at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve fully focused on the Canadian Grand Prix weekend and on continuing the optimization work carried out so far by Scuderia Ferrari HP.
“With these cars, putting everything into the ideal operating window is absolutely fundamental,” Leclerc explained. “I don’t think the differences we are seeing between teams are only linked to updates. Right now, everyone is still trying to understand and maximize an extremely complex package.”
The Monegasque driver also underlined how important development will remain throughout the season.
“One thing is clear: every week at the factory we are learning significant things, much more than in the past. At the same time, keeping up with development will obviously be crucial.”
Regulations and development
Leclerc also discussed the ongoing talks around the 2027 power unit regulations and the possibility of adjusting the balance between the electric component and the internal combustion engine.
“Some steps have already been taken in the right direction,” he said. “The difficult part is improving things without completely changing the balance of the work the teams have done so far. Every team has interpreted these regulations differently, so finding something that is fair and makes sense for everyone is more complicated than it may seem.”
The Ferrari driver welcomed the greater involvement of drivers in discussions about future regulations.
“When we first started testing these cars in the simulator, we all had very clear opinions about how they felt. It is important that drivers are listened to, and I think progress has already been made in this respect together with the FIA and the teams.”
Looking ahead to Monaco
Looking beyond Canada, Leclerc believes the characteristics of the 2026 cars could suit the Monaco Grand Prix particularly well.
“I think Monaco could be one of the races where these cars work very well,” he explained. “The cars are lighter, which is definitely positive, and on a track like Monaco the benefits should be clearly felt. Also, the electric part should play a smaller role because there will be a lot of energy recovery thanks to the high number of corners. I’m looking forward to driving the SF-26 in Monaco.”
For Ferrari, the Canadian weekend represents another opportunity to refine the SF-26 and continue extracting performance from a package that still requires precision and constant development.
Foto Credit: Ferrari.com
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