Leclerc makes Ferrari admission ahead of Spa after ending victory drought

The Monegasque driver arrived at Silverstone with a pessimistic outlook over Ferrari’s prospects, having expressed concerns about the team’s competitiveness heading into the British Grand Prix weekend. However, after securing a memorable victory at the race, Leclerc has now outlined the approach he believes will be crucial to maximising Ferrari’s performance at Spa-Francorchamps.

Asked whether he remains concerned about Ferrari’s performance level, particularly after similar doubts before his Silverstone triumph, Leclerc explained that his priority is no longer on outright pace but on rebuilding confidence and extracting the maximum from the car.

The Ferrari driver believes that finding the right feeling behind the wheel will ultimately determine how competitive he can be during a race weekend.

“Personally, I don't really focus on that. I think where I'll be focusing on is just to try and get that feeling again in the car. If I have that feeling in the car, I'm confident that I will extract the maximum out of this car. If I don't, then it might be more tricky,” Leclerc said after the British Grand Prix. “But then the overall result, of course, we are pushing extremely hard as a team in order to fight and challenge Mercedes.”

Leclerc admitted that Ferrari had expected both Silverstone and Spa to be difficult weekends, but his victory in Britain has forced the team to reassess its expectations heading into the Belgian Grand Prix.

“We were expecting a very difficult weekend in Silverstone. We were expecting even more of a difficult weekend in Spa. Considering we obviously won today, maybe we are a bit closer than what we initially thought,” he added.

Despite returning to victory lane, Leclerc insisted that chasing another win cannot become his main objective, stressing that the process of understanding the Ferrari and improving its performance remains the priority.

The Belgian Grand Prix has become a favourable venue for Leclerc in recent years, with the Ferrari star securing podium finishes in each of the last three editions of the Spa-Francorchamps race.

Despite his return to form at Silverstone, former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer has dismissed Leclerc’s chances of mounting a championship challenge, suggesting the Ferrari driver could instead play an important role in supporting teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Leclerc claimed his first victory since 2024 at the British Grand Prix after Kimi Antonelli suffered late misfortune while chasing the Ferrari for what appeared to be a likely win. The result marked a significant turnaround for Leclerc, who had endured a difficult spell as Hamilton began finding greater comfort with Ferrari.

Hamilton’s third-place finish at Silverstone extended his advantage over Leclerc to 39 points, while he remains only 32 points behind Antonelli in the championship standings. Leclerc, meanwhile, sits 71 points behind the title leader, a deficit Palmer believes is too large to overcome at this stage of the season.