Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc confessed that his forecast two years ago – that Red Bull would remain unbeatable until Formula 1’s next rules shake-up – has been spectacularly proven wrong by the resurgence of McLaren.
What once seemed unthinkable is now impossible only in hindsight.
Flash back to 2023, when Red Bull was the undisputed king of the asphalt. Fresh off a 2022 comeback that snatched both titles from Ferrari's grasp, the Milton Keynes squad unleashed a record-shattering blitz, gobbling up wins in all but one race – including a jaw-dropping 10 straight for Max Verstappen.
Leclerc's then-teammate Carlos Sainz had sneaked in that lone victory in Singapore, but it wasn't enough to dent the hype. Surveying the wreckage, Leclerc dropped a bombshell: catching the bulls under these regs? "Impossible."
It was a prediction actually supported at the time by Red Bull chief technology officer Adrian Newey, the main architect of Red Bull’s ground effect car who also foresaw a dominant few seasons ahead for the bulls, such was the RB19’s competitive advantage.
From Red Bull Rampage to McLaren Mayhem
Fast-forward through 2024's twists Verstappen clung to his crown, but Red Bull's edge dulled like a worn tyre. Enter McLaren, the papaya predators who pounced, snaring the Constructors' crown and setting the stage for this year's crushing hegemony.
With 12 triumphs in just 16 outings, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have turned the track into their personal playground, eyeing a historic double. Red Bull? Ferrari? Mercedes? They're scrambling in the rearview.
At Monza, reflecting on the current state of play, Leclerc owned up to his botched prophecy.
"Well, I was clearly wrong, and that’s why I probably won’t be using the word impossible anymore," he confessed with a wry grin, the kind that says he's learned the hard way.
Chasing Shadows: Ferrari's Wake-Up Call
What flipped the script? Leclerc tips his helmet to McLaren's sorcery.
"McLaren proved all of us wrong. I think they were the big surprise of this year," he marveled.
"We all thought that, being the last year of those Formula 1 regulations, everybody would be closer, which was the case for Red Bull, Mercedes, and ourselves.
“But McLaren seemed to have found something that we didn’t, and I’ll say to them [that] they did an incredible job."
Leclerc acknowledged that Ferrari now faces a steep climb – with much of the season already gone.
“Yeah, now it’s up to us to do a better job and try and catch them, but obviously now, it’s kind of late,” he conceded.
“They’ve got quite a big up and down in the championship, and for this year it’s going to be hard. We’ll keep focusing on trying to win races as soon as possible, and then we’ll think about what they say.”
Innovation: Ferrari’s Path Out of the Shadow
Beyond admitting error, Leclerc used the moment to underline what Ferrari must do to reassert itself. With McLaren’s step forward, the pressure is on all rivals to decode what they discovered this season.
“It’s true to say that the paddock is a very small world, in a way, and obviously there are, every year, some mechanics [and] engineers that go from one team to another,” he recognised.
“So you kind of hear things, and then that gives you a direction, and then you start and try to think in which way can they achieve that. Also you guys [the media] are a big part of also in trying to find out for us, and that gives us hints.”
But Leclerc was clear: following won’t be enough. Ferrari must lead.
“But our main job is to try and anticipate that and to be on top of those things and to be the first ones to lead the development in something that hasn’t been done before, because if you just follow, then you end up just being second best,” he explained.
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He ended with what seems like both a warning and a rallying cry:
“So, I will say there’s not that much energy, but when you have, especially at the end of an era, a team that does such a step like McLaren did, then it’s obvious that all of the teams are trying to understand what’s going on and what did they find to be so dominant this year.”
In F1's unforgiving arena, where yesterday's hero is tomorrow's footnote, Leclerc's mea culpa fires up Ferrari's forges for the seismic 2026 regs overhaul, where innovation isn't optional; it's oxygen.
With McLaren breaking the mold this season, the message is loud and clear – restart, reinvent, or risk being left in the rear-view mirror.
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