Charles Leclerc addresses theory over Ferrari F1 title desertion

Charles Leclerc has denied Ferrari will abandon hope of a championship charge early in the season in order to focus on next year's car.

The F1 challengers will undergo significant changes next year under a fresh set of technical rules aimed at both the chassis and power units.

Getting a head start on constructing the new cars could offer an advantage at the start of the sport's new era, and it's a tactic some teams are likely to take later this year.

Following a pre-season boost with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari has not presented itself as a championship contender in the opening rounds of the campaign with McLaren setting the pace out front.

When asked by RacingNews365 if the year would be another missed opportunity if rapid improvements aren't found, Leclerc replied: “For it to be a missed opportunity, there needs to be an opportunity at one point.

“For now, we haven't been at the level where we want to be from the beginning of the season.

“It’s still a long season, and we shouldn't give up. We are going to push until the very end.

“But I think one can go with the other as well. We very often say, ‘let's switch to next year's car straight away’.

“These kind of things, more and more with the new structures in F1, they can go parallel to one another.

“I don’t think you can be extreme in one way or the other.”

Ferrari has not won an F1 title since the 2008 campaign when it topped the constructors' championship ahead of McLaren.

Leclerc asserted the team will only switch complete focus to next year's car when any mathematical title hope for this season is eliminated.

“That doesn't mean that we are only focusing on this season, forgetting about next season or vice versa,” he said.

“I think we are trying to do the best in both worlds and we'll see where that leads us.

“As soon as the chances of a championship this year are not possible anymore, then it probably makes sense to fully focus on 2026.”