Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Charles Leclerc has revealed a surprising detail behind his lightning start at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne. The Ferrari driver surged from fourth on the grid to take the lead into the opening corner of the race.
Leclerc’s rapid launch had appeared almost perfect from the outside, especially after Ferrari’s strong starts during pre-season testing in Bahrain. The potential shown during testing translated into race conditions when the lights went out in Melbourne, allowing Leclerc to move past the front row immediately.
However, the Monegasque driver insisted the start was far from ideal and revealed that several drivers experienced energy deployment issues when the race began.
“Not at all, not at all,” Leclerc said when asked if it had been a near-perfect start.
“From the outside it may have looked like it, but we all had the same problem for some reason, and that’s something we need to review.”
Leclerc explained that the battery level in his car was extremely low at the start of the race, although it may have been slightly better than some of his rivals on the grid.
“My battery was very, very low for some reason,” he said.
“It was probably a bit higher than some others, which helped me get into the lead, but it was still very sub-optimal.”
Several other drivers also reported having little or no energy deployment available off the line. The issue was linked to how energy was harvested and consumed during the formation lap under the new 2026 power unit regulations.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies later explained that some cars had minimal battery charge at the start due to the acceleration and braking patterns used during the formation lap.
Despite leading into the first corner, Leclerc admitted he initially feared the situation would send him backwards through the field once the race began.
“I thought I would end up P8 or P9,” Leclerc explained.
“But when I started I saw that everybody had issues, and I probably had the least problems, which is what counted in the end.”
Leclerc added that the start sequence became even more difficult because teams were operating extremely close to the limits of the power units, while the start lights went out unusually quickly.
“We kind of expected a messy start,” he said.
“We are operating on a very fine line with the power units, and the lights going out were very, very quick.”
“It surprised everybody and made the situation even more critical. It was kind of crazy.”
The dramatic start in Melbourne highlighted the complexities introduced by Formula 1’s new 2026 power unit regulations, where battery management and energy deployment play a crucial role in determining performance from the moment the lights go out.
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