Charles Leclerc says his Ferrari has a fatal flaw that they cannot fix in the coming races.
Lewis Hamilton isn’t the only Ferrari driver having struggles this season. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, suffered a disappointing end to the Hungarian Grand Prix, as his pace fell off a cliff. He went from fighting Oscar Piastri for the win to finishing off the podium.
Hamilton said the Ferrari is difficult to drive, and is yet to score a podium with the team. 14 races without a top three is the worst start to a Ferrari career in their history. Leclerc has found more joy cracking the top three, but is still not happy with the state of the car.
He revealed that there’s a fatal flaw with the car that cannot be fixed quickly.
Charles Leclerc said it ‘won’t be the last’ time Ferrari suffer issue from Hungary
George Russell called out Ferrari after the Hungarian Grand Prix, saying their pace fell off because they ran the car too low to start the race. Consensus around the paddock suggests the Brit was right.
Teams run their cars low to the ground to generate the most downforce possible. Every car has a skid block at the bottom which wears down throughout the race. After the Grand Prix, the FIA will measure the skid block, and if it has been worn down too much, the car is disqualified.
Teams usually leave themselves some margin for error because of this, but Ferrari didn’t in China, and both Ferraris were disqualified as a result.
Russell suggested that Ferrari inflated their tyres during their pitstop in Hungary to avoid this happening again, and that’s why Leclerc’s pace fell off considerably. He said it’s an ongoing issue, and not one that’s easily fixed.
He said, “We more or less know which direction we need to attack the problem. But it’s not the kind of problem we’re going to solve from one race to the next, unfortunately.
“It’s more painful when you’re fighting for victory, as was the case in Budapest. It wasn’t the first time we’ve encountered this problem, and it probably won’t be the last.”
That’s an ominous sign for Ferrari, who are fighting tooth and nail for second in the Constructors’ Championship.
Ferrari can rescue a lost season with a momentum-building second-place finish
It’s been a difficult season in Maranello. Ferrari had championship hopes at the start of the season, but they dissipated after just a few races. However, beyond the championship-leading McLaren, which has shown dominant pace, that’s been the case for every team.
Mercedes fell away after they won in Canada. They had to revert to their old setup after a series of backwards steps, which ruined the confidence of rookie Kimi Antonelli.
Max Verstappen won two races at the start of the season, but that was off the back of his own brilliance. The Red Bull is miles off the pace, which led to the firing of Christian Horner and compounded their second seat problems.
| Position | Constructors' Standings | Points |
| 1 | McLaren Racing | 559 |
| 2 | Scuderia Ferrari | 260 |
| 3 | Mercedes-AMG Petronas | 236 |
| 4 | Red Bull Racing | 194 |
| 5 | Williams F1 Team | 70 |
The biggest concern for Ferrari is Hamilton’s confidence in the car. Leclerc has shown he can work around the team’s issues for years, but the seven-time world champion is having difficulties with that after leaving a well-oiled machine at Mercedes.
The 2026 regulations bring in a set of cars that suit Hamilton’s driving style, so that’s a silver lining for him. As for this year, if the team can continue to salvage some results, and if Hamilton can find some confidence in the car, they can lock up second place and build into next season.