Charles Leclerc Aims for Victory at Monza with New Ferrari Power Unit
Charles Leclerc will arrive at Monza with something more than just emotion and expectation this year. He comes armed with fresh horsepower – and a clear belief that Ferrari might just have enough to turn the Temple of Speed red again on Sunday.
The Monegasque has thrown his weight behind the optimism already voiced by team mate Lewis Hamilton over Ferrari’s latest power unit upgrade, which will debut in front of the Tifosi as part of the team’s 2026 ‘ADUO’ (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) allocation.
Ferrari trialled an initial step in Austria. Now comes the bigger swing, tailored for the Autodromo Nazionale Monza’s flat‑out demands.
“It will have a bit more power, which is always a good thing,” Leclerc said when pressed on what the new engine might deliver. “How much more power? Only time will tell.”
At Monza, even “a bit” can be decisive. A few extra kilometres per hour on the main straight, a fraction more punch out of the Variante del Rettifilo, and suddenly a Ferrari that has often watched Red Bull and McLaren disappear down the straights might finally be able to hang on – or attack.
Leclerc knows exactly what that feels like. He has already written his name into Ferrari folklore at this track, with victories in 2019 and again in 2024. Those wins, together with his triumph in Monaco earlier this year, sit at the heart of his career highlights.
“I’ll do my best in order to have a very special weekend like in 2019 and 2024,” he said. “But we are against very tough competition and the engine is definitely our weak part. To do a step forward will help us close a little bit the gap to the guys in front.”
That is the story of Ferrari’s season in a sentence. A car that can sing in the corners. A power unit that too often leaves it slightly off-key on the straights.
Fine margins at the Temple of Speed
Monza is the worst place to hide a lack of power. Long straights, heavy braking, short chicanes. Any deficit in engine performance is exposed lap after lap.
Leclerc is under no illusions. The upgrade alone will not be enough. Ferrari, he insists, must be flawless.
“On a track like this, we expect to have a bit of a harder time because it’s lots of straight lines and we know that this is a bit of a weak point compared to our competitors so far, but I’m still optimistic,” he said.
The optimism comes from recent evidence. Silverstone and Spa were supposed to punish Ferrari. Both tracks demand strong engine performance and efficiency at high speed. Yet the team emerged with a strong weekend at Silverstone, where Leclerc took victory, and a solid showing at Spa – not through raw dominance, but through precision.
“Silverstone and Spa weren’t meant to be positive for us and we had a good weekend, but by having a perfect execution. We need to target that here,” he stressed.
Perfect execution. No strategy errors, no slow stops, no messy qualifying laps. If Ferrari want a third win of the season – after Hamilton’s success in Barcelona and Leclerc’s at Silverstone – they will need all of it, and then some.
Balancing Saturday and Sunday
Monza often tempts teams into a compromise. Strip off the downforce, chase top speed, and hope the tyres survive. Or protect the race pace and accept a slightly more difficult qualifying.
Leclerc believes Monza offers a rare chance to lean a little more towards Sunday, without throwing away Saturday.
“If there’s one track we can afford to maybe compromise a little bit Qualifying compared to the race, it’s this one,” he said. “However, our job is to make the car faster, and that will be beneficial for Qualifying and the race.”
That line reveals Ferrari’s internal debate. They know track position matters here, but they also understand the slipstream can offer opportunities. A slightly stronger race car, combined with a more potent engine, might allow them to attack rather than simply defend.
“We have a new engine, we have new parts on the car, and I hope that helps us to put the others under a bit more pressure,” Leclerc added.
Pressure at Monza cuts both ways. Rivals know what it means to beat Ferrari on their own ground. Ferrari know what it means to lose here.
A driver at home in Ferrari red
For Leclerc, Monza is not just Ferrari’s backyard. It feels like his own.
“Italy has always been very special for me,” he said. “I kind of grew up here through my karting career, I was very much living with my mechanics here, and so I have a very special connection with Italy and the people.”
Those years in karting, the early bonds with Italian mechanics, the move into Ferrari’s junior system – they all feed into the noise that greets him when he walks into the Monza paddock in red overalls. This is not just another away game. It is the ultimate home crowd.
“To be racing with Ferrari in Italy is already a special experience, but even more so for me. I just really hope we can convert all that positive excitement into a victory on Sunday.”
The equation is simple. New engine. New parts. Old pressure.
If Ferrari can finally turn straight‑line vulnerability into strength, the Tifosi may yet get another Monza classic – and Leclerc could add one more chapter to a story that already runs deep in scarlet.
