# Charles Leclerc Warns Ferrari’s Start Advantage Won’t Last as Mercedes Adapts

**URL:** <https://intoguide.com/t/charles-leclerc-warns-ferrari-s-start-advantage-won-t-last-as-mercedes-adapts/243>\
**Category:** F1 Features\
**Created:** [March 13, 2026, 10:29am UTC](https://intoguide.com/t/charles-leclerc-warns-ferrari-s-start-advantage-won-t-last-as-mercedes-adapts/243 "2026-03-13T10:29:34Z")\
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**Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 10:29am UTC](https://intoguide.com/t/charles-leclerc-warns-ferrari-s-start-advantage-won-t-last-as-mercedes-adapts/243/1 "2026-03-13T10:29:34Z")

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# **Leclerc: Ferrari’s Start Advantage Won’t Last Long**

### **1. Lightning Launches in Melbourne**

- Leclerc moved from **P4 to the lead into Turn 1** , while Hamilton went from **P7 to P3**.

- Ferrari’s **smaller turbo** allowed the team to find the optimal revs for race starts more easily than rivals.

* * *

### **2. Mercedes Will Catch Up**

- 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**

- Several drivers struggled: Liam Lawson (P8) **lost all power** , forcing Franco Colapinto into a last-second evasive maneuver.

- Leclerc noted that **quickly extinguished red lights** compounded start-line difficulties.

- Australia’s energy management demands made the track one of the **toughest for starts** this season.

* * *

### **4. Battery-Led Battles and Overtaking**

- Leclerc traded the lead with Russell **eight times in the first 12 laps** , mostly due to **battery harvesting and deployment cycles**.

- 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**

- Ferrari’s **start advantage is temporary** ; Mercedes will adapt.

- The **new F1 2026 energy rules** add complexity but also create **more opportunities for skillful overtaking**.

- Leclerc believes the racing is still **fun and dynamic** , even if energy management introduces a different kind of strategy.