Charles Leclerc | F1 News

⚙️ Honda chief engineer Shintaro Orihara shared his expectations for the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Aston Martin will introduce its upgraded chassis.

“The big talking point for the Hungarian Grand Prix is that the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team will introduce their chassis upgrade. We are working closely with them to support on the power unit integration aspects, making FP1 a very important session to check the functionalities.

The Hungaroring is less sensitive for the power unit, so we may be able to expect better performance despite not having our B-spec engine here. It’s also typically a warm race, so we will need to check the cooling elements too at the start of the weekend.”

🇬🇧 Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack also confirmed that both cars are expected to run the new specification in Hungary.

“Yeah, I think it’s quite extensive. The main things are obviously aerodynamic and weight. And to achieve that, you have to do a lot of things. And everything has been achieved that we wanted.

The period that we had now with no upgrades for very long is now over. So, it looks good for the future. And we are just all looking forward to Budapest and see what we have.”

#interview #HungarianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🇭🇺 The Hungarian Grand Prix has produced countless memorable moments. Here are a few that shaped its history:

🇪🇸 2003 — Fernando Alonso’s first victory

At 22 years and 26 days, Alonso became Formula 1’s youngest race winner at the time and the first Spaniard to win a World Championship Grand Prix.

🚨 2009 — Felipe Massa’s qualifying accident

A suspension spring from Rubens Barrichello’s car struck Massa’s helmet at around 250 km/h. He underwent emergency surgery and missed the rest of the season, but returned to Formula 1 the following year. The accident intensified the debate over driver head protection.

🇬🇧 2020 — Hamilton’s eighth Hungarian victory

Lewis Hamilton claimed his eighth win at the Hungaroring, equalling Michael Schumacher’s then-record for victories at a single circuit.

🇬🇧 2021 — Hamilton alone on the grid

At the restart, every other driver pitted for slick tyres, leaving Hamilton alone on the grid. Esteban Ocon went on to take his maiden F1 victory, helped by Fernando Alonso’s remarkable defence against Hamilton.

🇦🇹 2023 — Red Bull make history

Max Verstappen’s victory gave Red Bull a record 12th consecutive win, surpassing McLaren’s 11-race streak from 1988.

🇦🇺 2024 — Piastri’s breakthrough and McLaren drama

Oscar Piastri secured his maiden Grand Prix victory after McLaren instructed Lando Norris to return the lead created by the team’s pit-stop sequence. Piastri also became the first Formula 1 race winner born in the 21st century.

#HungarianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🏎 PlanetF1 reports that Formula 1 drivers will meet with the FIA during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend to discuss stewarding and driving standards.

The talks will examine two contrasting Spa rulings involving Ferrari, raising fresh concerns over consistency.

🇲🇨🇦🇺 Leclerc–Piastri

The stewards took no further action against Leclerc, arguing that Piastri had no realistic opportunity to complete the overtake and that Leclerc had not deliberately forced him towards the edge of the circuit.
Their decision stated: “There was no possibility of Car 81 completing an overtake from that position.” The stewards also concluded that Leclerc “did not deliberately crowd Car 81 off the edge of the track.”
However, the International Sporting Code requires a driver returning towards the racing line after defending off-line to leave at least one car’s width to the edge of the track. The fact that contact occurred suggests that this space was not available.
More importantly, the stewards appear to have applied guidance concerning a car’s position at the apex to an incident that developed on a straight and under braking. The central issue is therefore not necessarily the absence of a penalty, but the reasoning used to justify it.

🇬🇧🇬🇧 Hamilton–Russell

Hamilton was judged wholly responsible for the collision, despite taking corrective action when his Ferrari lost front-end grip in the turbulent air behind Max Verstappen.
The stewards acknowledged that Hamilton experienced understeer and attempted to avoid Russell, but still concluded that he had failed to maintain sufficient separation. Their own summary added that the collision resulted from “a loss of front-end grip rather than from an aggressive or deliberate manoeuvre.”
Russell remained within the available racing room, but also left Hamilton the minimum possible space and did not move further to the left. PlanetF1’s analysis places the balance of responsibility at roughly 60–40 against Hamilton — comparable to the Leclerc incident, where no penalty was issued.
That makes the finding that Hamilton was “wholly at fault” difficult to reconcile with the stewards’ own description of an unintended loss of grip.

The wider issue

Both incidents exposed a gap between how Formula 1’s rules are written and how they are interpreted in practice.
The drivers will now discuss these examples directly with the FIA in Hungary, seeking greater clarity and consistency in the application of both the International Sporting Code and the Driving Standards Guidelines.
The meeting had already been scheduled before the Belgian Grand Prix. Following discussions at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, the drivers and the FIA agreed to hold such meetings more frequently. The decisions at Spa have simply made the next one considerably more urgent.

#HungarianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🇫🇷 Ferrari’s early-season pattern is becoming increasingly clear: the SF-26 appears stronger over a race distance than on a single qualifying lap.

“Since the beginning of the season, we’ve probably been a little more efficient in the race than in qualifying. But it’s not only down to the engine — sometimes it’s also a chassis issue,” said Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur.

Ferrari’s challenge is therefore not confined to power-unit performance. Extracting more pace on Saturdays will require improvements across the entire package.

Source: Sky Sports F1
@motorsportg

🇬🇧 Lando Norris has launched a blunt attack on Formula 1’s current power units, arguing that a driver’s qualifying pace is now too often dictated by factors beyond their control.

“I mean, it's got nothing to do with you as a driver, really. Sometimes it does, and we're talking about like being a few meters early on the button or whatever. It just makes a big difference at times. But there are certain things within your control and a lot of things, way too many things, that are out of your control. It's a shame that there are so many things that can dictate your own pace in qualifying. It's not down to the driver. It's just down to hoping you get lucky that the power unit does what it should do, and doesn't do something silly.”

Norris said the issue had compromised him throughout the season, with Spa marking the first weekend when he finally felt competitive on the straights.

“Honestly, it's been costing me the whole year. This is the first weekend I think all season I've been competitive in the straights, so it’s the first time I'm probably happy. So I've had the problems all season, and this is the first race I've been the one that's like, ‘Oh, I'm happy in the straights for once,’ and it was the first time Oscar was the one a little bit on the back foot in qualifying. But it's also not up to him. It's just down to the power units doing whatever they want.”

#interview
@charlesleclerc

🗓 Missed the race or any other session from last weekend?

🇧🇪 We’ve posted all the videos from the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix weekend in the comments.

#Replay #BelgianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🏎 Driver and team positions on the leaderboard after the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix

👑 Driver Standings:

1 🏎 Andrea Kimi Antonelli
2 🏎 Lewis Hamilton 🔼
3 🏎 George Russell 🔽
4 🏎 Charles Leclerc
5 🏎 Lando Norris
6 🏎 Oscar Piastri
7 🏎 Max Verstappen
8 🏎 Isack Hadjar
9 🏎 Pierre Gasly
10 🏎 Liam Lawson
11 🏎 Arvid Lindblad
12 🏎 Franco Colapinto 🔼
13 🏎 Oliver Bearman 🔽
14 🏎 Gabriel Bortoleto
15 🏎 Carlos Sainz
16 🏎 Alexander Albon
17 🏎 Esteban Ocon
18 🏎 Fernando Alonso
19 🏎 Nico Hülkenberg
20 🏎 Valtteri Bottas
21 🏎 Sergio Pérez
22 🏎 Lance Stroll

🏆 Constructor Cup:

1 🇩🇪 Mercedes
2 🇮🇹 Ferrari
3 🇬🇧 McLaren
4 🇦🇹 Red Bull
5 🇫🇷 Alpine
6 🇮🇹 Racing Bulls
7 🇺🇸 Haas
8 🇺🇸 Williams
9 🇩🇪 Audi
10 🇬🇧 Aston Martin
11 🇺🇸 Cadillac

#Leaderboard #BelgianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🇭🇺 Hungarian Grand Prix up next

🇭🇺 Circuit: Hungaroring, Mogyoród
🗓 July 24–26

👑2025 Podium:
🥇 Lando Norris
🥈 Oscar Piastri
🥉 George Russell

#HungarianGP26
@charlesleclerc

👑 Kimi Antonelli Wins the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix! A truly thrilling and action-packed race at Spa-Francorchamps.

🏳 Here are the final race results:

1 🇩🇪 Kimi Antonelli
2 🇮🇹 Charles Leclerc
3 🇦🇹 Max Verstappen
4 🇮🇹 Lewis Hamilton
5 🇬🇧 Oscar Piastri
6 🇦🇹 Isack Hadjar
7 🇬🇧 Lando Norris
8 🇩🇪 Gabriel Bortoleto
9 🇮🇹 Arvid Lindblad
10 🇫🇷 Franco Colapinto
11 🇫🇷 Pierre Gasly
12 🇮🇹 Liam Lawson
13 🇩🇪 Nico Hülkenberg
14 🇺🇸 Oliver Bearman
15 🇺🇸 Alexander Albon
16 🇺🇸 Carlos Sainz
17 🇺🇸 Esteban Ocon
18 🇺🇸 Valtteri Bottas
19 🇬🇧 Fernando Alonso
20 🇬🇧 Lance Stroll
21 🇺🇸 Sergio Perez
22 🇩🇪 George Russell

#BelgianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🚨 Just Minutes Until the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix

The final starting grid, including all penalties:

01 🇩🇪 Kimi Antonelli 🛞
02 🇦🇹 Max Verstappen 🛞
03 🇩🇪 George Russell 🛞
04 🇮🇹 Charles Leclerc 🛞
05 🇮🇹 Lewis Hamilton 🛞
06 🇬🇧 Oscar Piastri 🛞
07 🇮🇹 Arvid Lindblad 🛞
08 🇩🇪 Gabriel Bortoleto 🛞
09 🇮🇹 Liam Lawson 🛞
10 🇫🇷 Pierre Gasly 🛞

11 🇫🇷 Franco Colapinto 🛞
12 🇩🇪 Nico Hülkenberg 🛞
13 🇬🇧 Lando Norris 🛞
14 🇺🇸 Oliver Bearman 🛞
15 🇺🇸 Alexander Albon 🛞
16 🇺🇸 Esteban Ocon 🛞
17 🇺🇸 Valtteri Bottas 🛞
18 🇺🇸 Sergio Perez 🛞
19 🇺🇸 Carlos Sainz 🛞
20 🇬🇧 Lance Stroll 🛞

21 🇦🇹 Isack Hadjar 🛞
22 🇬🇧 Fernando Alonso 🛞

During the race, this post will be updated with all the key events.

🏳️🇬🇧 UPD 1: Safety Car. Russell retires after contact with Hamilton, his car stranded in the gravel.
🏳️ UPD 2: Green flag
🏳️ UPD 3: Brief yellow flag after minor contact between Leclerc and Piastri.
🏳️ UPD 4: Green flag
🇬🇧 UPD 5: Lewis Hamilton receives a five-second penalty for causing the collision with Russell.
🏳️ UPD 6: Two brief Virtual Safety Car periods for gravel and unidentified debris on track.
🇬🇧 UPD 7: Hamilton lightly clips a mechanic during his pit stop. The mechanic is unharmed.
🇨🇦 UPD 8: By lap 27, George Russell, Sergio Pérez and Lance Stroll have retired.

#BelgianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🏆 Kimi Antonelli takes pole position for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix!

The rest of the provisional grid after qualifying, before any penalties are applied:

1 🇩🇪 Kimi Antonelli
2 🇦🇹 Max Verstappen
3 🇬🇧 Lando Norris
4 🇩🇪 George Russell
5 🇮🇹 Charles Leclerc
6 🇮🇹 Lewis Hamilton
7 🇬🇧 Oscar Piastri
8 🇮🇹 Arvid Lindblad
9 🇩🇪 Gabriel Bortoleto
10 🇦🇹 Isack Hadjar

11 🇮🇹 Liam Lawson
12 🇫🇷 Pierre Gasly
13 🇫🇷 Franco Colapinto
14 🇩🇪 Nico Hülkenberg
15 🇺🇸 Carlos Sainz
16 🇺🇸 Oliver Bearman
17 🇺🇸 Alexander Albon
18 🇺🇸 Esteban Ocon
19 🇺🇸 Valtteri Bottas
20 🇺🇸 Sergio Perez

21 🇬🇧 Fernando Alonso
22 🇬🇧 Lance Stroll

#BelgianGP26 | Poll
@charlesleclerc

🏎 Only minutes remain until Qualifying begins.

Follow this post for live updates as each stage of the session unfolds.

3️⃣ Q3 Results:

1 🇩🇪 Kimi Antonelli
2 🇦🇹 Max Verstappen
3 🇬🇧 Lando Norris
4 🇩🇪 George Russell
5 🇮🇹 Charles Leclerc
6 🇮🇹 Lewis Hamilton
7 🇬🇧 Oscar Piastri
8 🇮🇹 Arvid Lindblad
9 🇩🇪 Gabriel Bortoleto
10 🇦🇹 Isack Hadjar

2️⃣Out in Q2:

11 🇮🇹 Liam Lawson
12 🇫🇷 Pierre Gasly
13 🇫🇷 Franco Colapinto
14 🇩🇪 Nico Hülkenberg
15 🇺🇸 Carlos Sainz
16 🇺🇸 Oliver Bearman

1️⃣ Out in Q1:

17 🇺🇸 Alexander Albon
18 🇺🇸 Esteban Ocon
19 🇺🇸 Valtteri Bottas
20 🇺🇸 Sergio Perez
21 🇬🇧 Fernando Alonso
22 🇬🇧 Lance Stroll

🇩🇪 UPD 1: Nico Hülkenberg came to a stop near the end of Q2 with a hydraulic issue.
🏳️ UPD 2: Red flags in Q3 after gravel was thrown onto the track.
🏳️ UPD 3: Green flag

Meanwhile, there is more news from the paddock.

🇬🇧 Following Lewis Hamilton’s crash in FP3, Ferrari will replace the suspension, floor, rear wing and gearbox on his car.

🇪🇸 Fernando Alonso has also received a penalty after Aston Martin changed several power unit components. His car has been fitted with a fifth Energy Store, exceeding the permitted limit of three, a fifth Control Electronics unit, also above the limit of three, and a new Power Unit Ancillaries component.

As a result, Alonso will start the race from the back of the grid.

#BelgianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🏳 FP3 has concluded.
Up next: qualifying for the main race!

Top 10 in Free Practice 3:

1 🇩🇪 Kimi Antonelli — 1:45.990
2 🇬🇧 Lando Norris — +0.139
3 🇦🇹 Max Verstappen — +0.148
4 🇩🇪 George Russell — +0.367
5 🇮🇹 Lewis Hamilton — +0.392
6 🇮🇹 Charles Leclerc — +0.760
7 🇬🇧 Oscar Piastri — +0.795
8 🇩🇪 Nico Hülkenberg — +0.934
9 🇩🇪 Gabriel Bortoleto — +1.059
10 🇦🇹 Isack Hadjar — +1.106

Towards the end of the session, Lewis Hamilton ended up in the gravel trap.

#BelgianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🏎 The third practice session is underway, with the cars preparing to head out on track.

🇫🇷 UPD 1: Isack Hadjar stalled at the pit-lane exit.
🇬🇧 UPD 2: Right at the end of the session, Lewis Hamilton found the same gravel trap that caught Pierre Gasly yesterday. (Qualifying gets underway in just two and a half hours.)
🏳 UPD 3: Session end.

We’ll keep updating this post as the key moments unfold.
#BelgianGP26
@charlesleclerc

The first day has come to an end, here are the results of the two practice sessions:

Practice 1 (FP1)

1 🇦🇹 Max Verstappen — 1:47.070
2 🇮🇹 Lewis Hamilton — +0.145
3 🇮🇹 Charles Leclerc — +0.207
4 🇦🇹 Isack Hadjar — +0.252
5 🇬🇧 Oscar Piastri — +0.452
6 🇩🇪 Kimi Antonelli — +0.533
7 🇬🇧 Lando Norris — +0.861
8 🇩🇪 George Russell — +0.889
9 🇮🇹 Arvid Lindblad — +1.164
10 🇩🇪 Gabriel Bortoleto — +1.336

Practice 2 (FP2)

1 🇩🇪 Kimi Antonelli — 1:45.944
2 🇬🇧 Lando Norris — +0.190
3 🇦🇹 Max Verstappen — +0.472
4 🇮🇹 Lewis Hamilton — +0.747
5 🇦🇹 Isack Hadjar — +0.770
6 🇬🇧 Oscar Piastri — +0.982
7 🇫🇷 Franco Colapinto — +1.203
8 🇩🇪 George Russell — +1.285
9 🇮🇹 Arvid Lindblad — +1.350
10 🇮🇹 Liam Lawson — +1.490

#BelgianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🇨🇦 Lance Stroll takes a grid penalty after changing his MGU-K.

He will start from the back of the grid alongside Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar, who have also received penalties for replacing power-unit components.

Kimi Antonelli has taken a new internal combustion engine without a penalty.
#BelgianGP26
@charlesleclerc

🏳️ The first practice session gets underway in just a few minutes.

🇬🇧 UPD 1: Jack Crawford replaces Fernando Alonso for the first practice session.
🇬🇧 UPD 2: Lando Norris did not leave the pits until roughly halfway through the session.
🏳 UPD 3: Session end.

🏳️ UPD 4: FP2 has already started
🏳️ UPD 5: Red flags are out after gravel was brought onto the track.
🏳️ UPD 6: Green flag
🏳️🇫🇷 UPD 7: The second practice session has been red-flagged after Pierre Gasly crashed at Turn 13.
🏳️ UPD 8: Green flag
🏳 UPD 9: Session end.

We’ll keep updating this post as soon as any notable moments emerge.
#BelgianGP26
@charlesleclerc