Charles Leclerc believes that the 2026 generation single-seaters have profoundly changed the way of driving. According to the Monegasque, finding performance is now much more complex than before.
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The new technical regulations introduced in 2026 have disrupted the drivers’ habits. Between the new power units, energy management, and cars much more sensitive to settings, yesterday’s references are no longer necessarily valid.
Charles Leclerc is experiencing this season. After a convincing start to the year, the Ferrari driver had several difficult races before regaining better feelings from the British Grand Prix onwards. In his eyes, this evolution perfectly illustrates the difficulty of understanding the new F1 cars.
Data is no longer enough
In the past, drivers could analyze telemetry data to precisely identify the sectors where they were losing time and adapt their driving style accordingly.
According to Leclerc, this approach is now much less effective.
“It also depends on the engine and how everything is configured. That’s what makes these cars so difficult to understand.”
The Monegasque explains that the number of parameters to consider has significantly increased with the current regulations.
“Before, it was often enough to look at the data to know where you were losing time and what needed to be changed in your driving. Today, it’s no longer that simple.”
Changing your driving style can make things worse
Leclerc even points out that a change in driving style can sometimes have the opposite effect of what is intended.
“If you change your way of driving while the car’s settings or programming are going in another direction, you can end up in a situation much worse than at the start.”
This constant interaction between chassis behavior, engine operation, and electronic management makes data interpretation much more delicate.
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For this reason, the Ferrari driver believes it is necessary to keep an open mind and regularly question certain certainties.
A season of ups and downs
The Scuderia driver takes his own campaign as an example.
Very comfortable at the start of the season, he then encountered major difficulties, notably during the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix, before regaining better performance thanks to several adjustments made to the SF-26.
“I started the season feeling very comfortable with the car. Then there was Monaco and Montreal, where I suffered a lot. After that, we changed several elements and the feelings came back.”
This evolution shows, according to him, that performance can vary quickly as soon as a parameter changes.
There is no longer a universal recipe
For several months, the paddock has been debating the most effective driving style with these new single-seaters. Some believe that aggressive driving is rewarded, while others favor more fluidity.
Charles Leclerc, however, refuses any generalization.
“I don’t think it’s that simple with these cars. There are a lot of variables and understanding all their consequences is much more difficult than one might imagine.”
The Ferrari driver notably believes that very aggressive driving does not suit the SF-26.
“I’m not convinced that being extremely aggressive works with our car. On the other hand, it may very well be the case with another single-seater.”
For Leclerc, this absence of absolute truth is one of the great novelties of this generation of Formula 1. More than ever, drivers must adapt their approach to their own car rather than trying to apply a universal method.
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