Charles Leclerc says Ferrari are reporting their ‘absurd’ qualifying problem to the FIA

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Charles Leclerc expects the FIA to implement changes, after Ferrari noticed their data proves an energy delivery issue costs them an “absurd” amount of time in qualifying.

The Scuderia have started the 2026 F1 season as the second-best team behind Mercedes in race conditions. But neither Ferrari driver, Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton, has been able to rival George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli during any of the qualifying sessions staged so far.

Russell took pole for the Australian Grand Prix with a 0.293-second margin over Antonelli in P2, who was 0.516s faster than Leclerc as the top Ferrari driver. Hamilton led Ferrari’s quest during Q3 at the Chinese Grand Prix with P3, but he was 0.129s slower than Russell’s P2 lap.

Hamilton’s deficit to P1 in Shanghai was also 0.351s as Antonelli got pole for the Chinese GP last time out. Only 0.013s separated the Scuderia stars in P3 and P4, which helped to tee up Hamilton and Leclerc’s fight for P3 in the Chinese GP that the former won but both enjoyed.

Charles Leclerc says Ferrari lose an ‘absurd’ amount of lap time through energy delivery

Ferrari have reviewed their data from the opening two rounds in preparation for this week’s Japanese Grand Prix and noticed what Leclerc considers to be a “very frustrating” issue. Any minor release of the throttle in a corner costs Ferrari a lot of time on the following straight.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 F1 Japanese Grand Prix with qualifying and race times

Leclerc says Ferrari are reporting their data to the FIA. He also expects to see changes in the future, as it is “absurd” that they are losing so much time from releasing the throttle as little as two or three per cent, due to the consequences on their energy deployment on straights.

“We are reporting these situations to the FIA, and I’m sure there will be changes in the future to address these issues,” Leclerc said, via quotes by Motorsport.com. “It’s a bit absurd to lose half a second due to a slight release of the throttle anywhere on the track.

“What was my reaction once I realised what happened? A lot of frustration. We’re talking about a two or three per cent release, practically nothing, almost like a vibration of the foot. It’s not something you expect, and it’s very frustrating – especially when it happens in Q3.”

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As well as energy delivery, Mercedes’ superior traction compared to Ferrari costs Leclerc and Hamilton a lot of lap time. The Ferrari SF-26 might be a match for the Mercedes W17 in medium-to-high speed corners, but Russell and Antonelli can pull away under acceleration.

Leclerc is well aware that the lap time that Ferrari are losing through their energy delivery is also not the only issue that he must master. After seeing how well Hamilton has adapted to the 2026 F1 regulations, Leclerc has been working on his braking style in Ferrari’s simulator.