Charles Leclerc defends F1 racing in 2026: It "doesn't feel so artificial"

The new F1 regulations have divided opinion: some think the racing is now like Mario Kart, but Leclerc is relishing the challenge

Charles Leclerc reckons the new 2026 Formula 1 cars don’t actually feel “artificial” despite several drivers strongly criticising the latest regulation overhaul.

Cars this year are completely different than before, with the chassis being nimbler and having less downforce, while the power unit is more reliant on electrical energy with a near-50:50 split against the internal combustion engine.

This has caused a difference in how the racing has looked across the opening two rounds of 2026 - Australia and China - with more wheel-to-wheel battles due to the ‘yo-yo’ style nature.

During Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, for example, a driver would often make an overtake at the Turn 14 hairpin before losing position again down the pit straight, with the battle then continuing through the lap.

Max Verstappen certainly isn’t a fan of this, claiming those who enjoy it ‘don’t understand racing’, while the likes of Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon hold similar opinions.

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It is the increased reliance on battery management that they don’t like, but those who have been fighting at the front, namely drivers of Mercedes or Ferrari, have been supporters of the new regs.

“I enjoy it and it doesn't feel so artificial from inside the car,” said Ferrari’s Leclerc. “Of course, you've got those overtakes where it's artificial, whenever someone is doing a mistake with the battery and completely drains it and then, there's a massive speed difference.

“But, I feel like we are all converging a little bit towards knowing where shouldn't we go and where can we try and take the risk and so, that creates very interesting overtaking places. I think today was the showing of that.”

What Sunday did show was wheel-to-wheel battles through the Turn 6-9 complex in Shanghai which hadn’t really been witnessed before. This included the constant battle between Leclerc, his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes man George Russell, who were all constantly squabbling over positions second to fourth.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

Although Leclerc was eventually the one to finish off the podium, he has still left China with a positive feeling given he’s often claimed it to be one of his harder tracks.

“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I'm not sure if you ask the team, they will reply the same. But, I really enjoyed it.

“Honestly, these cars for races, it's actually quite fun and yeah, it was just a cool race. At the end of the day, Lewis was just stronger and I'm happy for his podium. I'm, of course, disappointed for losing out on the podium on my side, but I know I've given everything and at the end of the day, Lewis was just stronger this weekend.

“It was a very fair, hard but fair battle, which was nice and then, there's also a lot of tactics from inside the cockpit that is really cool. There was obviously this battle for who will get the overtake in the last corner and we both brake very early. And, the way you deploy and manage the energy, it was a fun race.”

Although Leclerc is speaking positively of the new regulations, he still thinks qualifying should improve because it doesn’t reward drivers who are fully on the limit as much anymore.

“It's not those super high downforce cars that we used to have in the past,” he said. “There are some things that we, of course, need to look at.

“To make it a little bit more Formula 1-like in qualifying because, I feel like there’s something that we miss. But, I know the FIA is working on it and hopefully, we'll find a solution for that.”

Leclerc’s fourth in Shanghai added to his third-placed result in the Melbourne opener, leaving him third in the championship and 17 points off leader George Russell.