Leclerc: Data no longer gives simple answers with F1’s new-era cars

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has offered a revealing glimpse into one of Formula 1’s current conundrums: why extracting performance from the new-generation cars is far less straightforward than simply changing a driver’s technique.

The 2026 regulations have triggered widespread frustration among drivers, with complaints ranging from aggressive superclipping to the stop-start rhythm that has crept into racing under the new rules.

Yet while many have voiced outright dislike, Leclerc has adopted a notably more measured approach.

The Ferrari driver insists he remains willing to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the new cars rather than rushing to condemn them.

A car full of moving targets

Asked about the challenge of adapting his driving style, Leclerc explained that the answer is rarely simple because so many systems interact with each other.

“I think it really depends also on the power unit and the way everything is set up,” he said.

“That's why it's so difficult with these cars. There are so many different variables that it's not like in the past where you could look at the data and say, 'This is clearly where I'm losing, this is clearly what I've got to change with my driving.'

"If you are changing your driving, but the programming is going the other way, you end up being a lot worse than what you were at first.”

That complexity, Leclerc says, is the key difference between the current generation and previous Formula 1 machinery.

“So there are many different variables.”

His comments help explain why teams and drivers have often appeared uncertain about the “correct” way to drive these cars, with approaches changing not only from circuit to circuit but sometimes from corner to corner.

Why Leclerc stays open-minded

Even before pre-season testing began, concerns were circulating about how the new cars would behave once they hit the track. Leclerc deliberately ignored much of that early noise.

“I think you've got to be very open-minded.”

His own season has illustrated just how quickly perceptions can change.

“I started the season being very at ease with the car and very strong with the car. I've had Monaco and Montreal where I've been struggling a lot with this car, and then it came back a little bit after changing quite a few things.”

Rather than seeing performance swings as a simple matter of driving better or worse, Leclerc believes the new cars demand a much broader understanding.

“But I don't think that it's black and white so much with these cars. There are many different variables, and to understand the full implications when you are a little bit off is a lot more difficult than it seems.”

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That insight also shapes his view on the increasingly popular theory that drivers must attack these cars with maximum aggression to unlock lap time.

“I don't particularly agree that being super aggressive with these cars works, at least not with our car, but it might do for another car.”

The final caveat is perhaps the most telling. What works for one team may not work for another, reinforcing Leclerc’s central argument that Formula 1’s new era is defined less by a single driving philosophy and more by a complex web of technical variables that drivers are still learning to navigate.

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