Leclerc's Worry: Ferrari's 2026 Engine Dilemma Unveiled
Nov.7 - Despite sitting second in the constructors' standings - narrowly ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull - Ferrari's season remains mired in tension and speculation.
Charles Leclerc, still without a win in 2025, is rumoured to now be running on limited patience. Asked if finishing runner-up in the championship would be acceptable for the team, he said bluntly:
"It's not good enough, no.
"I think when you drive for such a team, the only thing that is good enough is to win."
The team's pressure has been magnified by rumours surrounding its future driver lineup. After Oliver Bearman's impressive P4 finish for Haas in Mexico, Italian media suggested the 20-year-old Ferrari junior could replace either Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton as early as 2027.
However, Hamilton - who joined Ferrari this year - dismissed claims that the team won't consider renewing his deal. "I have a long contract," he told reporters in Interlagos. "We usually start discussing an extension a year before it expires, but that's still a long way off."
Bearman also played down the speculation. "After one weekend they say this, but the race before that didn't go so well, so they write the opposite. The press loves headlines.
"Of course, the weekend was great and I'm very happy, but these things don't really interest me."
Behind the scenes, though, reports from Blick suggest Ferrari's new 2026 power unit could be underperforming badly. A group of former Renault engineers who recently joined the Maranello team are said to have found the engine lagging behind expectations on the test bench - even weaker than Renault's abandoned design for the same regulations.
"Italian media are sounding the alarm," Blick wrote, "reporting that the new engine for 2026 is a flop - said to have around 30 horsepower less than Mercedes'Â unit.
"A poor start under the new rules could be disastrous for Ferrari's partners Haas and Cadillac, and might even push Leclerc to leave by 2027."
The Swiss newspaper also revived paddock whispers of an audacious Aston Martin-Honda plan to pair Leclerc with Oscar Piastri in green from 2027 - though such talk remains firmly speculative.
Meanwhile, Hamilton was also asked about Felipe Massa's ongoing legal case regarding the 2008 title.
"I have no opinion on the matter," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I don't read anything and I know nothing, simply because this matter has nothing to do with me. Whatever Felipe's reasons, I have no doubt he believes it. As for me, I'm just focusing on my job."
On Ferrari's current trajectory, Hamilton remains cautiously positive: "I feel like the progress we're making is putting me in the position I want, and that's very important.
"Next year I'll be involved in the development of the car, so I can only hope for a positive season."
2 F1 Fan comments on “Leclerc's Worry: Ferrari's 2026 Engine Dilemma Unveiled”
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It's never good when excuses are being made about next years powerplant, when it is still under development.
It was some famous F1 engine designer who was asked about the engine he had under development at the time - "It goes 'round and 'round." That's all that is required - an answer. Not an excuse.
Press conferences are where you answer questions with as few words as possible. Like any border crossing, it isn't a Confessional.
letting slip that Hamilton's on borrowed time this early into the deal for the alleged saviour of Ferrari's fortunes say everything, I reckon if they could replace her for 26 theyd do it, the nonpunished sprint quali double waved yellow incident just adding to her woes, her pen interview told us a lot , she struggles to say anything , except "i just wanna have fun out there" compared to Charlies interview chalk and cheese, theres no fight no defiance, sad to see really,its embarrassing,Alonso and Seb may not have won a wdc with Ferrari but they showed plenty of fight,her only staring role this year will be in a Christmas pantomime "Im behind you" echoing throughout the theatre of F1