Leclerc cautiously optimistic for Spa after Ferrari exceeds expectations at Silverstone

Charles Leclerc says Ferrari's surprise performance at the British Grand Prix has given the team reason for optimism ahead of Spa-Francorchamps, although he insists there are still important questions to answer before expecting another victory.

Leclerc claimed his ninth Formula 1 victory with a commanding drive at Silverstone, leading much of the race after overtaking Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli at the start.

While the Scuderia had arrived at the British Grand Prix expecting to be on the back foot, the SF-26 proved significantly more competitive than anticipated, allowing Leclerc to secure Ferrari's first win of the 2026 season.

With the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps next on the calendar, Ferrari had originally expected another difficult weekend because of the circuit's characteristics. However, Silverstone's unexpectedly strong showing has left Leclerc feeling slightly more optimistic.

Asked whether the result had given him confidence that Ferrari could fight for victory again in Belgium, Leclerc stressed that his priority is not the outcome itself but finding the right feeling with the car.

"Personally, I don't really focus on that. I think where I'll be focusing on is just to try and get that feeling again in the car," Leclerc stated.

The Monegasque believes that when he has confidence in the SF-26, he can consistently extract its maximum potential. Although he is avoiding predictions, Leclerc emphasized that Ferrari remains fully committed to improving its performance and closing the gap to the front.

"If I have that feeling in the car, I'm confident that I will extract the maximum out of this car. If I don't, then it might be more tricky. But then the overall result, of course, we are pushing extremely hard as a team in order to fight and challenge Mercedes."

Leclerc admitted that Ferrari had expected Silverstone to be one of its more difficult races of the season, making the team's strong performance all the more surprising: "We were expecting a very difficult weekend here in Silverstone."

In fact, the team had initially believed Spa-Francorchamps would present an even greater challenge. However, Ferrari's pace at Silverstone has prompted a reassessment of those expectations.

Ferrari's breakthrough victory at Silverstone has undoubtedly raised expectations ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. But while the result has eased some of the team's concerns about Spa, Leclerc believes understanding why the SF-26 performed so well in Britain will be just as important as carrying that momentum into the next race weekend.

"I think prior to this weekend, we were expecting even more of a difficult weekend in Spa. Considering we obviously won today, maybe we are a bit closer than what we initially thought."

Even so, Leclerc cautioned against drawing firm conclusions from a single race weekend, insisting Ferrari first needs to understand why its performance exceeded expectations by such a significant margin.

"But it's still to be proven, and for that we also need to understand why was it an outstandingly good weekend compared to our expectations."

Rather than thinking about adding another victory to his tally, Leclerc says he will approach Spa in exactly the same way he approached Silverstone. Instead, his attention will remain on extracting everything possible from the SF-26.

"So, we'll focus on all that. But personally, I won't be focusing on just winning because that will be the wrong approach. I'll just focus on the process in order to get the best feeling and to maximise this car."