MARCH 26, 2026

Leclerc downplays Ferrari-Merc fight despite early battles

Charles Leclerc has played down the apparent closeness between Ferrari and Mercedes, insisting the gap at the front is "not as close as it looks".

Although Ferrari has emerged as the clear second team behind the dominant Mercedes outfit after the opening two races of 2026, Leclerc says the on-track battles have been misleading.

I think the battle at the front isn't as close as it looks. We're not as close as people think, he said at Suzuka.

"In the first few races, we saw some battles at the front, which is obviously great. But if you're slightly off with the energy management in these cars, you lose a lot of time.

That gives you the opportunity to put pressure on the leaders. However, they show their true pace as soon as they have a clear track.

Leclerc estimates the real deficit is already clear.

And then there's the difference of four or five tenths of a second per lap, which we already saw in the first races. That's quite a lot, he said.

But I won't let that discourage me. We have a few things in the pipeline that will hopefully help us. And we mustn't overdo it, which can easily happen when you're in this situation. We have to concentrate on ourselves.

The Ferrari driver still believes the gap can be reduced over the course of the season, particularly in the early development phase of the new regulations.

The season is still young, and I think it's possible. However, it's also a huge challenge and anything but easy, he said. Because Mercedes isn't resting on its laurels either and is pushing hard.

Leclerc pointed to the power unit as the main area of difference.

A lot can be achieved simply by optimising the power unit. I think that's the biggest difference between us and Mercedes, he said.

"But of course, there are also areas in the chassis where we can improve. Even though I think we already have a pretty strong chassis.

The big difference to Mercedes is in the engine.

(GMM)