Charles Leclerc boosted and confident for Belgium after rediscovering winning form at Silverstone

The Monegasque had struggled to find the right feeling with the car during the previous rounds. However, Ferrari’s unexpected pace in Britain allowed him to return to the top step of the Formula 1 podium.

Leclerc now wants to prove the result was not a one-off when Ferrari tackles Spa-Francorchamps, another high-speed circuit expected to favour Mercedes. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Belgian GP weekend, he admitted: “It was nice to see that hard work pays off, especially after the previous races where I struggled a lot to find the right feeling with the car.

“It was only on one track and now I want to reproduce it on different tracks. In terms of confidence, I am always confident that if I do a good job in the car, then the results will come. But for that, I need to work.”

Leclerc has spent the period since Silverstone analysing why Ferrari performed considerably better than expected: “That’s what I’ve tried to do in the last few days, trying to understand first of all why we performed so much better than expected at Silverstone, in order to try to reproduce it more often in the future.”

Ferrari’s simulator programme has been a regular talking point during the 2026 season, particularly after Lewis Hamilton explained why he preferred not to use it when preparing for race weekends.

Leclerc has taken a different approach and said the simulator helped confirm the progress Ferrari made between the Silverstone Sprint and qualifying.

“The simulator work helped me understand why I felt more comfortable at Silverstone,” he explained. “I already knew what we had changed, but as far as overall performance is concerned, there are still aspects to explore. We need to accumulate more laps on track to test some solutions.”

Despite Ferrari’s British GP success, Leclerc continues to regard Mercedes as the benchmark at Spa-Francorchamps. The Ardennes circuit shares several characteristics with Silverstone, including long flat-out sections and demanding high-speed corners.

Leclerc said: “My position hasn’t changed compared to before the English weekend. Silverstone and Spa are two tracks that should suit Mercedes much better. In the last race, we were strong, but we were also lucky on Sunday because Kimi Antonelli didn’t get the result we expected.”

Spa also carries considerable emotional significance for Leclerc. The circuit was the scene of his first Formula 1 victory in 2019, one day after his friend Anthoine Hubert was killed in a Formula 2 accident.

He recalled: “This is a special circuit for two reasons. I achieved my first victory in Formula 1 here, an unforgettable moment, but I also lost my friend Anthoine.”

The intense development battle between Ferrari, Mercedes and their rivals has also raised questions about how teams are managing expenditure under Formula 1’s budget cap. Ferrari has pushed to accelerate the design and production of upgrades as it attempts to close the performance gap and maintain its recent momentum.

Leclerc insisted he had complete confidence in Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur to manage the financial and technical challenge: “On this aspect, I trust Fred more than anyone else.

“There is a huge amount of work on the part of the team to push production and stimulate the creative minds in Maranello, with the aim of delivering updates as quickly and efficiently as possible. I’m not worried. I know he knows exactly what to do," insisted Leclerc.

The 28-year-old Monegasque, lies P4 in the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, trailing Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton by 39 points, and 71 points behind leader Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
(Reporting by Agnes Carlier at Spa-Francorchamps)