Charles Leclerc admits Mercedes’ pace was ‘not as much’ as he expected in Australian Grand Prix

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Charles Leclerc and Ferrari may have got a glimmer of hope despite falling behind Mercedes in the Australian Grand Prix.

The 2026 F1 season began the way many expected, with Mercedes validating their pre-season favourites status with a 1-2 finish in Australia.

George Russell had a comfortable win for the most part. However, the first few laps of the race saw Russell having to battle it out with Charles Leclerc and Ferrari.

Mercedes claim a one-two finish to start F1’s new era! Which driver stands out from the top 10 of the Australian Grand Prix?

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Leclerc even got the better of George Russell a few times, taking pole position multiple times in the opening 10 laps in Australia.

However, an erroneous pit strategy ultimately cost Ferrari a higher finish on the podium. But Leclerc believes he can take away a positive for the season.

READ MORE: George Russell tells the FIA to improve ‘sketchy’ aspect of new rules after Australian GP victory

Charles Leclerc admits Virtual Safety Car played no role in Mercedes win, but surprised by their pace

Speaking right after the race, Charles Leclerc was asked about the initial Virtual Safety Car, and whether it’s absence would have allowed him and Ferrari to topple either of the Mercedes’ drivers.

Surprisingly, Leclerc believes the Virtual Safety Car’s absence wouldn’t have been enough for them to hold off Russell or Kimi Antonelli. But the Monegasque driver expected more pace from Mercedes.

“I don’t think so, but maybe I’m wrong. It looked like Mercedes had a bit more pace than us today, but maybe not as much as what we saw yesterday, so that’s a good thing, but I don’t think we could have won.”

As mentioned, Mercedes were considered favourites coming into the 2026 season. But Leclerc may have realised that some of the hype around Mercedes may have been overblown.

Some standout performers in Melbourne 👀 Who was you Driver of the Day at the Australian GP?

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READ MORE: George Russell hints McLaren have dropped the ball vs ‘amazing’ Mercedes at Australian Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc admits ‘tricky’ new regulations led to chaotic Australian GP

Speaking further in his post-race interview, Charles Leclerc admitted that a lot of the race went into him trying to manage the new regulations and the changes that have come about because of it.

“It was a very tricky race! Honestly, at the start, none of us knew what to expect with the fights, the energy. It’s even more tricky with the overtakes.”

“You don’t know when your battery will cut on the straights, so while defending, there are massive speed differences.”

“It was quite challenging, but I was happy to get out of the battle in first. Unfortunately, that didn’t help us for the rest of the race, but it was a fun first part of the race. P3 was the best we could do today.”

Leclerc and Ferrari have got off to a strong start, even if they couldn’t manage to get both drivers on the podium.

This first race could be a great learning experience as they look to bounce back at the Chinese Grand Prix next weekend.