Leclerc reveals he'd be happy to see this rival crowned if Ferrari fails: 'Reminds me of myself'

Leclerc has won a single race so far in 2026, at Silverstone, after Antonelli suffered a car issue while chasing him, leaving the Mercedes driver outside the points that weekend.

The Ferrari driver's goal is to win more Grands Prix this year. "I’m not thinking about the championship just yet; I want to win another race. The work I’m putting in is paying off," he told Sky Sports Italia.

The Monegasque driver then added: "If Ferrari didn’t win the title, I’d be happy for Kimi to win it. He’s incredibly enthusiastic, it reminds me of myself when I made my debut."

Entering the first race after the summer break, Antonelli has a comfortable lead in the drivers' standings. The young Italian is 50 points ahead of Leclerc's teammate, Lewis Hamilton, and 59 points ahead of George Russell. Leclerc himself is 81 points behind Russell, who sits in fourth place.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Leclerc wants Ferrari to continue with its development approach.

He told GPblog, among others: "That’s the [current] championship again. Upgrades are so much more significant than in the past because it makes us do such a big step forward.