Leclerc: “We have to be perfect to undermine Mercedes and stay ahead of McLaren and Red Bull”

The Monegasque expects minimal gaps. After a two-week stop, F1 returns to the track in Montreal for the Canadian GP. Today the only free practice session is scheduled and then at 10.30pm it will already be time to push in the Sprint Qualifying. Ferrari does not bring updates unlike Mercedes and McLaren, but Leclerc underlined that regardless of any changes at the beginning of 2026, optimizing the package during the race weekend is the key to obtaining a good result. “I believe that understanding the car well and making the most of it makes a big difference at the start of the season and can take you from an excellent result to a disappointing one – the words of Charles Leclerc – McLaren and Red Bull, for example, are starting to understand their car well and then there is Mercedes which is the point of reference. I expect minimal gaps, we must be perfect to undermine the Mercedes and hope to stay ahead of Red Bull and Mercedes”. Leclerc is currently third in the standings, 41 points behind leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli. In Montreal he only got on the podium on one occasion in 2019 when he was third behind Hamilton and Vettel, an edition controversial due to the penalty given to the Ferrari German. Click here to add Formula Passion as your favorite source on Google Discover: you will find our content more easily!

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-05-22 16:00:00