Formula 1 Rumor: Leclerc restless as Ferrari faces 2026 engine concerns

(GMM) Despite sitting second in the constructors’ standings – narrowly ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull – Ferrari’s season remains mired in tension and speculation. Charles Leclerc (pictured), still without a win in 2025, is rumored to now be running on limited patience.

Asked if finishing runner-up in the championship would be acceptable for the team, he said bluntly:

“It’s not good enough, no.

“I think when you drive for such a team, the only thing that is good enough is to win.”

The team’s pressure has been magnified by rumors surrounding its future driver lineup. After Oliver Bearman’s impressive P4 finish for Haas in Mexico, Italian media suggested the 20-year-old Ferrari junior could replace either Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton as early as 2027.

However, Hamilton – who joined Ferrari this year – dismissed claims that the team won’t consider renewing his deal. “I have a long contract,” he told reporters in Interlagos. “We usually start discussing an extension a year before it expires, but that’s still a long way off.”

Bearman also played down the speculation. “After one weekend they say this, but the race before that didn’t go so well, so they write the opposite. The press loves headlines.

“Of course, the weekend was great and I’m very happy, but these things don’t really interest me.”

Behind the scenes, though, reports from Blick suggest Ferrari’s new 2026 power unit could be underperforming badly. A group of former Renault engineers who recently joined the Maranello team are said to have found the engine lagging behind expectations on the test bench – even weaker than Renault’s abandoned design for the same regulations.

“Italian media are sounding the alarm,” Blick wrote, “reporting that the new engine for 2026 is a flop – said to have around 30 horsepower less than Mercedes’ unit.

“A poor start under the new rules could be disastrous for Ferrari’s partners Haas and Cadillac, and might even push Leclerc to leave by 2027.”

The Swiss newspaper also revived paddock whispers of an audacious Aston Martin-Honda plan to pair Leclerc with Oscar Piastri in green from 2027 – though such talk remains firmly speculative.

Meanwhile, Hamilton was also asked about Felipe Massa’s ongoing legal case regarding the 2008 title.

“I have no opinion on the matter,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I don’t read anything and I know nothing, simply because this matter has nothing to do with me. Whatever Felipe’s reasons, I have no doubt he believes it. As for me, I’m just focusing on my job.”

On Ferrari’s current trajectory, Hamilton remains cautiously positive: “I feel like the progress we’re making is putting me in the position I want, and that’s very important.

“Next year I’ll be involved in the development of the car, so I can only hope for a positive season.”