Charles Leclerc Insists He Is “Motivated and Capable” of Winning 2026 F1 Championship with Ferrari

Charles Leclerc set his sights on the 2026 season and emerging as a title winning force by then under the new regulations with Ferrari.

Charles Leclerc Insists He Is “Motivated and Capable” of Winning 2026 F1 Championship with Ferrari

Charles Leclerc (via Kym Illman, Getty Images)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Charles Leclerc was one of the many drivers who suffered from underwhelming results in the 2025 season. Despite achieving multiple podium finishes, he wasn’t good enough to bring home a race win for Ferrari. Moreover, the Italian squad’s performance struggles further disabled any winning chances for Leclerc. Now, the Monegasque laid out his goals for the 2026 season and claimed that he is feeling highly motivated for the upcoming new regulations.

Since the beginning of the 2025 season, Charles Leclerc was thought to be overshadowed by Lewis Hamilton, following the latter’s debut this year. However, Hamilton’s year was nothing short of a nightmare, and he failed to best Leclerc in terms of results. Meanwhile, the 28-year-old suffered from struggles of his own as he couldn’t quite contend for the title in the 2025 season.

Now, speaking on his chances to contend for the driver’s title in the 2026 season, Charles Leclerc insisted that he was motivated. Not only him, but Leclerc also pointed out that the entire Ferrari squad was motivated to achieve success in the upcoming season under the new regulations. The 28-year-old pointed out that the coming season would be a huge change for the team.

Charles Leclerc asserted that the upcoming season would give Ferrari a great chance to prove what they were capable of in Formula 1 and achieve great results. The Monegasque made a striking “now or never” claim on the chances of achieving success in 2026. Leclerc reckoned that the team’s success in the 2026 season was very necessary as it would then set their pace for the remainder of the new regulations.

I do, and next year will be a crucial year. The whole team is hugely motivated for next year, because it’s such a big change, a huge opportunity to show what Ferrari is capable of. It’s now or never, so I really hope that we will start this new era on the right foot, because it’s important for the four years after.

Charles Leclerc said, as reported by motorsport.com.

Charles Leclerc gives a ‘realistic timeline’ to assess Ferrari’s competitiveness in 2026

The new regulations in the 2026 season mean all the teams will start on a fresh note, and no one will be a clear favorite from the beginning. All teams will have to toil hard on and off the track to achieve the best development possible. Charles Leclerc has been with the team for quite some time now, and he might get impatient if the team fails to deliver on their promise of developing a championship-winning car.

Lewis Hamilton, Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc (via Getty)
Lewis Hamilton, Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc (via Getty)

Charles Leclerc reckoned that by six or seven races into the 2026 season, Ferrari would have a good idea of their competitiveness against the rivals. The Monegasque guessed that everyone would have an idea of which team would likely dominate the new regulations based on their initial performances. For now, every team will hope to develop the best chassis and power unit possible and present to the grid with the best performance out of the bunch.

By race six or seven, I think we’ll have a good idea of who are the teams that will be dominating for the four years after.

Charles Leclerc noted.

The 2025 season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride for Ferrari as a whole. The team couldn’t quite capitalize on Lewis Hamilton’s entry and achieve the best results possible. Regardless, the entire squad is highly motivated to achieve success and return Ferrari to its lost glory in the pinnacle of motorsport. For now, both Charles Leclerc and Hamilton will take a much-needed winter break and return to the grid by 2026, and start preparing for the massive, impending challenge.

Also Read: Max Verstappen Declares the MCL39 Would’ve Made Him Untouchable in 2025