Leclerc hits back at Hadjar over Verstappen-Ferrari claim: ‘Nonsense’

Charles Leclerc has qualified as “nonsense” Isack Hadjar’s claim that Max Verstappen would have been even more dominant at the Singapore Grand Prix had he been driving a Ferrari, questioning how anyone outside a team can confidently judge its machinery.

Verstappen claimed pole position for both the sprint and Grand Prix at Marina Bay, converting his leading position into victories in both events, and beating Leclerc by 7.3 seconds in Sunday's race.

But Hadjar reckons that Verstappen would have won by an even greater margin in Ferrari’s SF-26, believing tha Red Bull doesn't currently have the fastest car.

"I think the car is still very hard to drive," he said in Austin on Thursday. "In Malaysia it was dominant, but I don’t think in Singapore it was the fastest car. That’s what I believe.

"I think if you put Max in the Ferrari, he would’ve won the race with more margin – that’s my opinion. In Singapore, I think [Ferrari] was the fastest car."

The Frenchman’s verdict may have been intended as a compliment to the Scuderia's machinery, but it also carried an unmistakable sting for Ferrari: the implication that its car was capable of an even more emphatic victory than the one Red Bull had delivered.

Leclerc was having none of it when the claim was put to him ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin.

For the Scuderia charger, the argument overlooks the complexity of comparing rival cars in a championship where small differences in setup, execution and track characteristics can make an enormous difference.

Leclerc: Outsiders have no idea what rivals are driving

The Monegasque made his objection clear, arguing that even drivers themselves lack the information needed to make sweeping claims about the competitive strengths of another team’s car.

"Well, first of all, I think it's nonsense to start saying these kinds of things. Isack has no idea what kind of car we drive, and I have no idea what kind of car he drives," Leclerc explained.

His point goes beyond defending Ferrari’s pride. In a tightly contested field, judging a car’s potential from the outside is an exercise fraught with uncertainty, particularly when the performance differences between teams can be razor-thin.

"I think it's such a tight field that it's very, very difficult for us to predict,” he added.

• Read also: Ferrari’s rivals still have something we don’t, says Leclerc

“Yes, of course, we have an idea of how we will be on this track, but when you are speaking about such fine margins, it relies really on optimising your package, and that has a much bigger influence than what we expect in terms of cars.

While the Ferrari driver stopped short of making any sweeping claims about Red Bull’s own machinery, he did identify one rival whose anticipated performance has not quite matched expectations in recent races.

Mercedes the potential exception as Austin beckons

Leclerc pointed towards Mercedes as the possible exception to the competitive uncertainty, suggesting that the Brackley outfit could yet demonstrate the advantage many had expected it to possess.

"I think the only outlier in the last few races is maybe Mercedes, that we expected to be further ahead than they actually were,” he said.

“If they manage to finally unlock the performance that we had in mind for them in the last few races, then they will be further ahead than any others.

“But otherwise, it's going to be very tight."

That assessment adds another layer of intrigue as Formula 1 tackles the Circuit of the Americas this weekend for the opening round of the penultimate triple-header of the 2026 campaign.

With the championship entering its decisive phase, Ferrari will be hoping to reduce its gap to Mercedes in the Constructors’ standings while protecting its runner up spot in the championship.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook