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Charles Leclerc has detailed how he has “never” seen Ferrari working so hard behind the scenes before as the iconic Italian racing team attempts to continue their good run of form to usurp Mercedes at the top of the F1 standings.
The Monegasque racing driver enters this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix as a reigning race winner for the first time since 2024, with Leclerc’s victory at Silverstone just under a fortnight ago displaying hints that the Tifosi could potentially start dreaming of a title once again.
Drop your podium prediction for the Belgian Grand Prix 👇
Ferrari entered F1’s new era of regulations with a strong base, with the Scuderia clearly being the second-best team on the grid behind the dominant efforts of Mercedes.
However, engineers back in Maranello have been working around the clock to ensure that the SF-26 can compete with the best-in-class W17, with Leclerc now revealing how he has never seen Ferrari’s factory working so hard since joining the team in 2019.
- READ MORE: Carlos Sainz says Lewis Hamilton is now seeing what he had to deal with vs Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc is loving Ferrari’s work ethic with 2026 upgrades
During his Thursday afternoon media duties at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Leclerc portrayed a highly optimistic figure following his trip to the top step of the podium at Silverstone.
The 28-year-old had endured a rough few race weekends in the shadow of his high-flying teammate Lewis Hamilton, but bounced back in emphatic style as he took the chequered flag at the seven-time world champion’s stomping ground.
Charles Leclerc has never won more than three Grands Prix in a season 🏆 Predict how many he will take in 2026?
“There’s so much work to do when things aren’t going well – well, even when things are going well, but when they aren’t, there’s so much work to try and understand why I wasn’t feeling as comfortable – so the fact that it’s paid off with a win feels really good,” he told Canal+.
“Quite honestly, the team this year is stepping up in a way I’ve never seen before. Fred is fully behind the team, and the team is really doing an exceptional job – not only in the development of the parts but also in designing them so quickly.
“In any case, that’s never happened before, and it’s paying off – especially in a season like this. I really think that it’s going to be a championship where upgrades are the key to winning the title.
“Admittedly, Mercedes have a comfortable lead, so it’s going to be tough for us to catch up, but we’ve done a very solid job so far.”
Ferrari’s rapid pace of development was called into question at the Austrian Grand Prix, after Hamilton’s victory in Barcelona was aided by an eight-item upgrade that focused solely on the aerodynamic package of the SF-26.
- READ MORE: Fred Vasseur fires back at Toto Wolff after Mercedes chief’s ‘ironic’ verdict on Ferrari’s spending
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur quickly refuted Wolff’s claims, adding that the Austrian executive’s qualms with their level of development were “ironic”.
For this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari have yet another couple of upgrades, including an update to their viral ‘Macarena’ wing that is aimed at improving the efficiency of the component.
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