As Charles Leclerc reveals a recent breakthrough in his driving style and setup direction, the Ferrari driver reflects on an action-packed United States Grand Prix that left him tantalizingly close to his first win of the season.
Finishing second in an action-packed United States Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari came agonizingly close to an even greater result in Austin. The Monegasque driver engaged in multiple wheel-to-wheel battles with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris while keeping a close eye on the strategy of race leader Kimi Antonelli, briefly hoping to capitalize on the Mercedes driver’s tire plan to snatch victory.
Despite fielding a competitive car and enjoying increasingly encouraging feedback behind the wheel, Leclerc conceded that Mercedes ultimately had the upper hand on Sunday. While pinpointing a persistent qualifying weakness for the Scuderia, he remains confident heading into the final rounds of the campaign.
Strategic Gamble: Two Stops vs. One
Leclerc relished returning to the fight at the sharp end of the grid at the Circuit of the Americas. Crossing the line second behind Antonelli, the Ferrari driver delivered an aggressive drive defined by several duels with Verstappen and Norris. While the final result left him with a hint of regret, he thoroughly enjoyed having machinery capable of going toe-to-toe with the frontrunners.
“Yes, I really enjoyed it,” Leclerc said. “The start was fun, and then the battles with Lando and Max later in the race were also very enjoyable. It’s the kind of race where you don’t get too bored in the cockpit, because there is something out there to fight for.”
For a significant portion of the race, Leclerc even envisioned claiming his maiden victory of the season. While both Ferrari and Red Bull committed to a two-stop strategy, Mercedes rolled the dice on a single pit stop for Antonelli. Leclerc viewed that call as a prime opportunity, as Ferrari’s pre-race simulations projected heavy late-race tire degradation for the Mercedes.
“I thought victory was possible at one point, when I saw Kimi going for a one-stop strategy,” Leclerc explained. “According to our numbers, he was supposed to start struggling much more towards the end of the race. In the end, he never really suffered in the final laps, but yes, it was a fun race. It’s just a shame we didn’t manage to win.”
Unlike Mercedes, Ferrari never seriously entertained the idea of a one-stop race, sharing Red Bull’s strategic read based on their remaining tire sets.
“Yes, I think Red Bull and ourselves had roughly the same view of things,” he noted. “If you also look at our tire allocation, a two-stop strategy was probably the best solution for us.”
That divergence in strategy ultimately played into the hands of Antonelli, whose tires held up far better than the Maranello pit wall had anticipated.
An Intense Opening-Lap Duel with Verstappen
Leclerc’s afternoon was also defined by a fierce, close-quarters battle with Verstappen through the opening sequence of corners. The Ferrari driver revealed that he deliberately held back on the brakes into Turn 1 to set up a switchback on the exit.
“Yes, it was fun. I got a pretty good start,” Leclerc recalled. “Then, I didn’t want to brake too late into Turn 1, simply to keep the option of cutting back on the exit. But Lewis ended up really, really close, and then I deployed a bit more battery energy to pull alongside Max through Turns 3, 4, and 5. I didn’t really know how it was going to play out, but yes, it was very tight and it was fun.”
Bolting on the hard compound for his final stint, Leclerc unlocked formidable pace. He rated the hard tire as the strongest race compound of the afternoon, citing its durability and its ability to withstand heavy pushing without excessive degradation.
“Yes, as Kimi said, the hard tires were simply very good and I could push a lot on them,” Leclerc said.
From there, the Monegasque began monitoring the leader’s lap times intently, hoping to reel Antonelli in and apply late pressure.
“So I was more focused on trying to… I kept asking my engineer what Kimi’s pace was, though I was probably a bit too optimistic. I still wanted to take my chance, but yes, I probably lost a bit too much time battling with Max and Lando. Even with clean air in front of me, I don’t think I could have caught Kimi. He was simply too fast today.”
Asked whether Austin represented a missed opportunity for Ferrari, Leclerc pointed directly to Saturday’s qualifying session as the decisive factor. Although the Italian car had looked formidable across all three practice sessions, that pace failed to materialize when it mattered in Q3.
“If you look at FP1, FP2, and FP3, we were very strong,” he admitted. “If you look at qualifying, ultimately in Q3, it was extremely difficult to bring the tires up to temperature, and we probably lost a shot at victory right there. But in the race, Kimi was very strong, so yes, looking at the weekend as a whole, I think we are simply not consistent enough across all conditions.”
A Breakthrough in Driving Style and Setup
Despite settling for second place, Leclerc expressed growing optimism regarding Ferrari’s trajectory. His confidence in the cockpit has improved markedly over the past two to three Grands Prix, driven by a deeper understanding of how the 2026 generation of cars behaves.
“It’s a bit difficult to predict whether I can turn this into a win, because the margins are so tight and it also depends on the other teams’ upgrade programs over the coming races,” Leclerc said.
“But my feeling with the car is getting better and better. These cars are very particular and unique, and I feel that over the last two or three races, I have found something again in my driving—and especially in the setup paired with my driving style. Putting those two elements together has allowed us to take a step forward, and I simply feel much more comfortable in the car.”
Having knocked on the door of victory in both Singapore and Austin, Leclerc is confident that this upward momentum will soon pay dividends.
“So I hope this will soon lead to a victory,” he concluded. “Whether in Singapore or here in Austin, we weren’t very far off, so I’m confident we will get an opportunity to win a race before the end of the season.”
