Frederic Vasseur has spoken about Charles Leclerc’s drawback.
Lewis Hamilton beat Charles Leclerc to the rostrum in Shanghai (Picture: Getty)
The 2026 Ferrari System 1 automotive doesn’t slot in properly with the driving fashion of Charles Leclerc, the Monegasque’s boss has claimed. Regardless of that, Frederic Vasseur believes Leclerc has been “on it” in these early weeks of the brand new marketing campaign by which Ferrari have loved an encouraging begin.
They’ve definitely begun because the chief challengers to Mercedes who’ve gained each Grands Prix held to this point, in addition to the Dash race in Shanghai. They’ve been stored sincere by Ferrari, although, significantly within the early phases of races with the Scuderia’s new engines giving them a persistently glorious launch off the road, catapulting them right into a battle for the lead.
They have not been capable of reside with the tempo of the Mercedes automobiles over a full race distance, however the Ferrari drivers have been persistently better of the remainder to this point. Leclerc was third in Melbourne on the opening weekend of the season, whereas it was Lewis Hamilton who got here out on high in China after a protracted and thrilling battle together with his team-mate to safe a long-awaited first podium in crimson.
Issues between them are a lot nearer within the drivers’ standings because of this. Leclerc completed the 2025 marketing campaign 86 factors away from Hamilton who endured a largely wretched first 12 months with Ferrari, although only one single level separates them in these early weeks of the brand new marketing campaign.
Staff principal Vasseur says Leclerc has been hampered by the SF-26 at instances. He stated: “his [regulation era] requires most likely extra adaptation and modifications – a unique method from the drivers. He’s doing it. I am undecided it was becoming very properly together with his fashion, however he’s on it. He has an excellent grip in understanding the state of affairs with the automotive. He’s very sharp, and he’ll do it.”
In distinction, Hamilton is feeling far more at house already within the SF-26 than he ever did in his 2025 automotive. The seven-time world champion stated earlier than the season that he favored the very fact he had been capable of give his enter in the course of the design course of and, after his drive to 3rd in Shanghai, spoke much more positively of his new racing machine.
Ferrari chief Vasseur stated Leclerc is ‘on it’ regardless of the automotive not suiting his driving fashion (Picture: Getty)
Hamilton stated: “I began this voyage and this dream of shifting to Ferrari and being on the highest step with them, and this podium has taken longer than I had hoped. After a tough 12 months final 12 months, to have the ability to be part of creating with them, working with them over the previous 12 months, provides me big delight and it is such a privilege to be part of this model. They supplied us a very strong automotive.
“I positively really feel like I am again to my finest, each mentally and bodily. Coaching this winter has been the heaviest and probably the most intense that I’ve ever had, and that most likely comes hand in hand with being older, however I’ve managed to drag these new instruments collectively… I do suppose there’s extra to return. I believe I can nonetheless eke out extra efficiency from this automotive.
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“I am nonetheless studying about it as I am going, significantly with deployment and that. Then on the bottom, mid to finish of final 12 months, digging deep with the engineers and speaking to them in regards to the issues that I needed from a automotive that I did not have any a part of creating final 12 months. To then develop the automotive with them this 12 months, I am extremely grateful to them for listening on that aspect of issues.”
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