Charles Leclerc could not hide his frustration. Starting from the front row in Baku, the Monegasque driver finished only fourth after being overtaken by two Red Bulls within laps. “We need updates to win the development race again,” he told F1TV.
Qualifying had given hope. Leclerc put the SF-26 second, capitalising on Andrea Kimi Antonelli's Q3 mistake. But when the lights went out, that hope vanished. Oscar Piastri grabbed the position immediately, followed by Isack Hadjar and a fierce Max Verstappen.
Red Bull, arriving in Baku with a new package, proved a real handful for Ferrari. Leclerc salvaged fourth only after Piastri hit trouble. “It’s a shame that when qualifying is great, we struggle so much in the race,” he added. This marks five consecutive races without a podium for Ferrari.
In the development war, Maranello seems to be lagging. McLaren keeps surging, Red Bull has found performance, and Ferrari is stuck as the fourth force. Leclerc acknowledges it. “We know we still have something in the pipeline to improve the SF-26’s performance,” he said. “I don’t know if rivals have more updates, but we must focus on ourselves.”
Pressure now shifts to the updates scheduled for Austin. If that package fails to deliver, Ferrari could fall further behind. Leclerc demands clarity. “We need updates to win the development race again,” he stressed.
With the gap widening, Ferrari has little time. Austin will be the real test. Can they bounce back, or will they sink further?
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