Leclerc upbeat after completing Ferrari’s Barcelona shakedown

Charles Leclerc struck an optimistic tone after completing Ferrari’s shakedown run at the Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya on Tuesday, saying the early laps left him eager to understand how the team’s 2026 challenger stacks up once performance work begins.

Ferrari used the permitted filming day to conduct initial systems checks and gather baseline data in Fiorano last Friday. The Scuderia has now started to discover its 2026 F1 challenger in Barcelona, with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc taking the wheel on Tuesday.

While the session offered no representative performance clues, the Monegasque said the first impressions were encouraging and that he is impatient to see how the car behaves when pushed closer to its limits.

“I’m very excited,” Leclerc said after stepping out of the car. “I’m very excited to see what the others have in store and, when we start pushing a little bit more, to see where we are compared to the others.”

With the new regulatory cycle opening the door to more significant development swings, Leclerc believes the coming season presents a rare opportunity for teams to make a decisive step.

“I think this year is a big opportunity for every team to do something different and to maybe gain a bigger advantage than what we’ve seen in the last few years,” he explained. “I hope we are the team that will manage to make the difference.”

Ferrari has spent the winter refining its concept after a 2025 campaign marked by flashes of competitiveness but insufficient consistency to challenge Red Bull over a full season. Leclerc emphasised that regardless of where the team starts, the focus is on relentless development.

“Wherever we start, we will push to the maximum to try and bring Ferrari back to the top,” he said. “It’s been quite a few years, so I hope this one is ours.”

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