Leclerc: Ferrari’s Start Advantage Won’t Last Long
1. Lightning Launches in Melbourne
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Leclerc moved from P4 to the lead into Turn 1, while Hamilton went from P7 to P3.
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Ferrari’s smaller turbo allowed the team to find the optimal revs for race starts more easily than rivals.
2. Mercedes Will Catch Up
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Leclerc believes the advantage is temporary:
“Once Mercedes knows how to put themselves in the optimal window, I don’t think there will be that much difference between the cars.”
- Ferrari’s current lead at the start is more about the robustness of their system than a fundamental performance gap.
3. Start-Line Chaos for Others
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Several drivers struggled: Liam Lawson (P8) lost all power, forcing Franco Colapinto into a last-second evasive maneuver.
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Leclerc noted that quickly extinguished red lights compounded start-line difficulties.
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Australia’s energy management demands made the track one of the toughest for starts this season.
4. Battery-Led Battles and Overtaking
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Leclerc traded the lead with Russell eight times in the first 12 laps, mostly due to battery harvesting and deployment cycles.
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He rejects claims that this makes overtaking “artificial”:
“It’s just an additional way of getting past each other… you need to think about how to overtake using the least energy possible.”
- He compared it to strategic DRS battles in past seasons, like his 2022 Saudi GP duel with Max Verstappen.
5. Key Takeaways
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Ferrari’s start advantage is temporary; Mercedes will adapt.
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The new F1 2026 energy rules add complexity but also create more opportunities for skillful overtaking.
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Leclerc believes the racing is still fun and dynamic, even if energy management introduces a different kind of strategy.