Leclerc: SF-26 strong but engine trails Mercedes, Red Bull

Charles Leclerc said the SF-26 has a competitive chassis but is held back by a power unit that lags Mercedes and the Red Bull-Ford unit on the straights, saying the car is “lacking a little bit” in straight-line speed. He pointed to strong starts in Melbourne, Shanghai and Suzuka where Ferrari began well but fell back as rivals’ engines asserted an advantage.

Broadcasters and technical commentators echoed a picture of a package imbalance. David Croft warned the FIA’s lengthened race-start procedure “has hamstrung” Ferrari by reducing the benefit of its launch-focused design, which uses a smaller turbo favoring traction and getaways over top speed. Leclerc said Ferrari’s Miami upgrade delivered only a small gain, less than a tenth of a second in race pace, while rivals such as McLaren and Red Bull made bigger steps in optimization and results, with McLaren emerging as a significant challenger.

Ferrari has urged that it should qualify for Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities after parity checks are scheduled to take place following the Montreal round. Leclerc said, “I’ll be surprised if not” when asked whether Ferrari would be eligible, and he argued ADUO access would help close the gap even if it might not eliminate it. He cautioned that this season’s cars are highly interdependent systems and that raw power alone will not suffice, saying rapid optimization across chassis, aero and powertrain packages will decide competitiveness in the coming months.