Jolyon Palmer sees Charles Leclerc having ‘inherent advantage’ with Ferrari driving style in 2026

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Fans and pundits have been trying to predict who will have the upper hand in Formula 1 with the 2026 rule changes, and Jolyon Palmer thinks it could be Charles Leclerc.

The Monegasque driver endured a frustrating 2025 season with Ferrari. While he did score seven podiums – teammate Lewis Hamilton failed to score any – he struggled with the SF-25, which was far behind the top three teams.

Both drivers expressed frustration with the car as they could not extract consistent performance. In 2026, Ferrari have listened to Leclerc and Hamilton’s demands as they look to make the SF-26 more predictable and comfortable.

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The Maranello outfit focused their attention on the 2026 F1 regulations early in 2025, and their car is catching attention. Leclerc has seen major progress from Ferrari during testing in Bahrain as they introduced several technical upgrades.

The 28-year-old was third-fastest on day one of the second test at Sakhir, and Palmer sees him ‘really happy’ in the car with the new regulations.

Charles Leclerc could have ‘inherent advantage’ in 2026 with how he can cope with rear instability

People in the paddock think Ferrari could challenge Mercedes in 2026. The team’s power unit and overall package look competitive, and Leclerc is looking strong with his driving style.

Speaking via the official F1 YouTube channel, wrapping up the day of testing in Bahrain, Palmer explained how the new regulations have lost drivers’ stability from the rear of the cars. But this may give Leclerc the edge, as he is comfortable with handling this instability.

“So, the other one that springs to mind is another guy that’s been really quick, which is Charles,” said Palmer.

“He is another guy that’s really happy dancing the car on the edge. So, if you’re happy with the car being on the edge of rear lock and rear instability on the way in, it’s the most efficient way to slow the car down, recharge the battery, and spool the turbo to get out of the corners as well.

“The drivers have all lost a lot of rear stability. So for those that need that, they need to then find it mechanically on the car and there’s loads of setup they can play with.

“But if you can deal with that rear instability, I think it gives you maybe an inherent advantage. Charles is a driver that’s happy. We’ve seen so many pole laps for him.

“Thrilling on the edge, sometimes over the edge, but he can handle it. He has also been really quick so far, and he was top for a lot of the day.”

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Charles Leclerc has one of the worst pole-to-win ratios in F1 history

Ferrari’s setup favours Leclerc over Hamilton in the SF-26, which could give him another advantage this season. The Monegasque driver will be desperate to have a successful season.

2025 was a miserable campaign for Ferrari, but Leclerc did give his team some positives with seven podiums and a pole position in Hungary. He displayed his qualifying strength by putting that car into a position it had no right to be in.

But despite this, Leclerc has one of the worst pole-to-win ratios in F1 history, with just five wins from 27 poles. He cannot convert his qualifying performance into race pace, which is something he will want to address in 2026.

Ferrari will be under pressure to deliver results in 2026. If they cannot, Leclerc has been preparing his 2027 move for months, as he begins to assess his options for the future.