Charles Leclerc has all but confirmed what most already knew in the F1 paddock: : Ferrari may have built a decent 2026 car, but its power unit is not keeping pace with the engines powering its main rivals.
Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend in Montreal, the Monegasque openly acknowledged what many observers had already begun to piece together from Ferrari’s recurring struggles on the straights.
The Scuderia’s SF-26 appears to be losing the horsepower war against both Mercedes and even Red Bull Racing-Ford.
And with Formula 1’s radically different 2026 regulations placing unprecedented emphasis on the hybrid powertrain package, Ferrari’s concerns are becoming impossible to ignore.
Ferrari fighting, but fading
In Melbourne, Shanghai and Suzuka, Leclerc and Ferrari frequently looked capable of taking the battle to Mercedes in the opening laps. But once races settled into rhythm and the power units began flexing their muscle over long stints, Ferrari repeatedly slipped backward while Mercedes surged ahead.
Miami offered some encouragement. Ferrari introduced updates that unlocked a little extra pace, but even that optimism came with a caveat. While the Italian outfit found marginal gains, McLaren arrrived in North America with upgrades that delivered a much more dramatic leap forward.
Now, Ferrari is hoping not only for progress on track in Canada this weekend, but also for potential help from Formula 1’s new balancing mechanism: the FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system, better known as ADUO.
The system has been designed to prevent one engine manufacturer from running away with the field under the new regulations. Following the FIA’s first definitive engine performance assessments after Montreal, manufacturers deemed to be trailing could receive permission to make upgrades.
Leclerc made it abundantly clear that he believes Ferrari should qualify.
"I think it's going to be very difficult [to catch Mercedes]," Leclerc said.
"I think they have a very big advantage - and ADUO, I mean I obviously don't know yet if we are in. I'll be surprised if not because I can see sometimes in the straight that we are lacking a little bit compared to the Mercedes or even Ford power unit.
"I think it will definitely be a help to try and get closer - whether it will be enough to close the gap, I don't know.
"It also depends which level we get if we get it at all but surely if we get it, it will be a help to get closer."
The hidden complexity of F1’s new era
Leclerc’s assessment underlines just how brutally complicated Formula 1’s new generation of cars has become.
Unlike previous regulation cycles where aerodynamic upgrades alone could dramatically transform competitiveness, the 2026 machines are deeply interconnected systems where chassis, aerodynamics, electrical deployment, engine efficiency and drivability constantly influence one another.
And according to Leclerc, raw upgrades only tell part of the story.
"I think a lot about these cars is optimising," he said. "I mean if I look a little bit, doing a step back on the performance of each team, I don't fully believe that it's all down to the upgrades that each team have brought the step that we've seen.
"I really think that, by example if we look at Red Bull, I think Red Bull was very strong during the winter test and then there was these first three races where as soon as you are not exactly optimised you lose a lot of performance.
"And I feel like in Miami they did a massive step on that, on top of the upgrades they brought. So I think it's very difficult to have a good picture of how much the upgrades are doing."
That observation may offer Ferrari a sliver of encouragement.
Read also: FIA says new ADUO process ‘not a balance of performance' scheme
If optimisation remains the decisive battleground, then there is still hope that Maranello can unlock performance hidden within its package without necessarily needing a revolutionary redesign.
But Leclerc also knows the development war is accelerating at a frightening pace.
Development ruthless development race
One of the most striking elements of Leclerc’s comments was his insistence that gains from new parts are currently far larger than teams became accustomed to under the previous regulations.
That reality could make the coming months decisive for the championship fight.
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