Despite Failing to Compete, Charles Leclerc Agrees With Max Verstappen About the Modern F1 Cars

This year, Charles Leclerc has struggled to compete with Max Verstappen because of Ferrari’s lack of performance compared to the ever-dominant Red Bull. They have had some strong battles in the past, but despite being rivals, the Monegasque driver agrees with Max Verstappen‘s words about the issues regarding modern F1 cars. Even though the current rules favor his team slightly, Leclerc feels that the cars are way too heavy, as does Verstappen.

Ferrari and Red Bull are nowhere close to one another in the standings. The latter is the strongest team in F1, and Ferrari is struggling at P4. Despite not being on-track rivals, both teams seem to agree with each other when it comes to issues related to the weight of the car.

Red Bull currently has the fastest car on the grid, and other teams haven’t been able to catch up with the RB-19. However, Max Verstappen has complained about about the specifications of the car, particularly regarding its weight. The Dutch driver feels that the current generation of Formula 1 cars is too heavy.

Charles Leclerc agrees with Max Verstappen

According to motorsport.com, Verstappen said that the cars are now “extremely heavy” as a result of the new regulations, but he added that he didn’t think there was a quick fix because most of the weight rise was brought on by additional safety measures. He added that a lighter car would improve its agility and performance.

Leclerc agrees with the 25-year-old’s suggestions. “When I started in F1 in 2018, the cars were already quite heavy,” Leclerc told Motorsport.com.

Leclerc, like many other drivers and teams, thinks that Formula One can strike a fair balance between decreased weight and downforce levels for the 2026 regulations. He added that the weight of the car is an issue because it affects the overall performance and handling. Charles thinks it’s critical to strike the correct balance between weight loss and keeping strong downforce.

Leclerc on Ferrari’s underperformance

Charles Leclerc highlighted Ferrari’s underperformance by mentioning the switch to ground effect vehicles in Formula 1. He stated that the cars have remained quite similar for the last ten or fifteen years, but that there is now a whole different philosophy at work. The change affects all teams, not just Ferrari.

According to Leclerc, Ferrari has just been on this new route for a year and a half, and there is still room for change. Ferrari has been struggling throughout this year. They haven’t won a single race, and are struggling to compete with the likes of Mercedes and McLaren, let alone Red Bull.

The Maranello-based outfit, according to Leclerc, has to work hard and make some changes in order to be competitive again. He believes that the present ground effect cars are more unpredictable, but expects the teams to find solutions after the regulations have been in use longer.