Leclerc: Ferrari wins 'much bigger satisfaction' than holding second in Constructors'

Leclerc shifts Ferrari's focus from the standings to the top step

Charles Leclerc has admitted that Ferrari holding onto second place in the 2026 Constructors' Championship is “not something I really care about,” insisting that returning to victory is a far more meaningful target for the Scuderia before the campaign ends.

Speaking ahead of the United States Grand Prix, the Monegasque revealed what he wants to achieve with Ferrari before the end of the season. The Scuderia currently sit a comfortable 105 points clear of McLaren in the standings, though with Red Bull having rapidly closed in on the top three, the battle for P2 could yet run to the final round.

Leclerc, however, is unwilling to make the championship position the team’s central objective. “Honestly, the most important thing for us is to focus race by race and try to get as many wins as possible from now until the end of the season, which eventually, as a result, will give us second place in the Constructors’ Championship,” he said.

“But second place in the Constructors’ Championship isn’t something I really care about. It’s obviously better than third, but it wouldn’t be a huge satisfaction. A much bigger satisfaction would be for us to be able to fight for wins and actually win races before the end of the year. That would also be a good sign to start next year on a high.”

A win drought since Silverstone

Ferrari’s last victory came when Leclerc won the British Grand Prix back in July, and the team has not returned to the top step since. Their recent form has nonetheless been encouraging: they collected a double podium in the Singapore Sprint before Leclerc’s challenge to Max Verstappen faded during the Grand Prix itself.

That pace prompted Isack Hadjar to declare Ferrari the fastest team at Marina Bay — a claim Leclerc was quick to reject. “I don’t agree, but to each their own opinion,” he explained. “And, yeah, at the end of the day, we’ll never know, so I think maybe it’s a bit of a pointless discussion.

“But we were happy with our performance in Singapore, although we still have some steps to take. As we’ve seen, Red Bull have taken a step up over the last few races, and they’re enjoying very good momentum. It’s up to us to try to reverse that trend and get back in front.

“I’m pretty sure Mercedes will also, at some point, figure out their new upgrades and get back to where they were before, as will McLaren, which I’ve heard is bringing a significant package here.

“But it’s exciting. I think we’re all relatively close, and it all comes down to small details. We’ve got to be the team that comes out on top.”

With the field tightly packed and several teams bringing updates, Leclerc’s message is clear: for Ferrari, a season defined by a handful of wins would mean far more than the number next to their name in the constructors’ table.