Despite a solid Friday in Melbourne, Charles Leclerc believes that one team already seems to be pulling away in this new Formula 1 season: Mercedes.
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The first day of free practice for the Australian Grand Prix has provided many insights for the Formula 1 teams. For Ferrari, the assessment remains generally positive, notably thanks to a constant presence at the front during the two sessions.
Charles Leclerc set the fastest time during FP1 before seeing the hierarchy evolve in the second session. Despite these encouraging performances, the Monegasque driver remains clear-eyed about the real situation of his team compared to the competition.
Speaking after Friday’s practice in Melbourne, he acknowledged that Ferrari was able to draw valuable lessons from this first day on track. But he also believes that some teams deliberately hid their hand during the first laps of the weekend.
“FP1 went well, but in FP2 we start to see a bit more of what some really have in their hands” explained Leclerc to the media.
Mercedes particularly impresses in race pace
While Ferrari was able to show good top speed over one lap, Charles Leclerc was particularly attentive to the long runs completed by his rivals on the Melbourne track.
According to him, the Mercedes team seems to have a significant advantage, notably in terms of race pace. Even if the German team did not dominate the timesheets during this first day, its long-run simulations clearly left an impression in the paddock.
“Mercedes is gradually showing a bit more of its potential and we are also starting to see where we are less performant compared to them” confided the Ferrari driver.
The Monegasque believes that the German team seems particularly solid when the cars run with more fuel, which is often a key indicator for Sunday’s race.
“I think they are clearly very strong, especially in race pace. I don’t know yet what margin they have over a fast lap, but on the long runs they seem very competitive compared to us.”
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McLaren difficult to read after Friday practice
Behind Mercedes and Ferrari, the hierarchy remains unclear, especially regarding McLaren. Oscar Piastri delivered a very impressive performance during the second free practice session, while his teammate Lando Norris appeared significantly further back.
For Leclerc, this unusual gap could simply be explained by different programs between the two cars. Teams often take advantage of Friday to test distinct setups in order to collect more data.
“Oscar did a really impressive lap, but I don’t know exactly what McLaren is testing between its two cars, he analyzed. Maybe they are trying different things, because Lando was quite far down the timesheet.”
Qualifying will reveal the true hierarchy
As is often the case during the first weekend of the season, free practice only gives a partial glimpse of the teams’ real level. Work programs vary greatly from one team to another, which can blur the reading of performance.
The qualifying session scheduled for Saturday should thus offer a more reliable first snapshot of the Formula 1 hierarchy for this 2026 F1 season.
Charles Leclerc nevertheless remains cautious and prefers not to draw definitive conclusions too early. The Ferrari driver obviously hopes that his team can get closer to the competition during the next sessions.
“It’s the first race with a brand new car, so there are still a lot of unknowns, he explained. On the long runs, we’re still starting to get a better idea of everyone’s level. I hope I’m wrong and that we will be much faster tomorrow. But for now, Mercedes seems to have a head start, then Red Bull, McLaren and us behind.”
A warning that could well signal a tight battle to kick off this new Formula 1 season.
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