Leclerc left encouraged by Ferrari’s start, but claims "Mercedes is hiding a massive amount"

F1 Test, Sakhir, Bahrain International Circuit

Charles Leclerc left the opening three‑day pre‑season test in Bahrain feeling satisfied with Ferrari’s progress, yet he made it clear that he does not trust the early pecking order.

While Ferrari completed their full programme without setbacks, Leclerc repeatedly emphasised that Mercedes’ performance is not what it appears on the surface. “I think Mercedes is hiding a massive amount,” he said, adding that “only time will tell how much they’ve been hiding.”

Reflecting on Ferrari’s own start, Leclerc described the test as “a positive start in the sense that we didn’t have any problems in themselves,” stressing how important reliability is under the radically new 2026 regulations.

He explained that “with such different new regulations, having a big problem afterwards makes it very hard to recover,” and he was pleased that Ferrari avoided that scenario. According to him, “we completed the entire programme, all the tests we wanted to do we managed to do, so that was also positive.”

However, Leclerc was adamant that performance comparisons are meaningless at this stage. “On the performance side, it’s impossible to know,” he said.

He explained that teams now have far more tools to disguise their true pace, noting that “if before there were two or three things we could play with to hide the performance, now there are fifteen.” Because of this, he insisted that “it’s very difficult to understand where we stand compared to the others.”

Leclerc also praised Ferrari’s internal organisation, contrasting this year’s test with the more chaotic 2025 pre‑season. “Last year the tests were much more difficult, much less structured,” he said. “This year instead it’s very good.”

He added that he would not describe Ferrari’s approach as conservative, saying that “there has been and there is incredible work going on in Maranello to push everything and everyone is doing it.”

When asked about the driving experience under the new rules, Leclerc admitted that the sensation behind the wheel is unusual. “There’s a lot of new technology, it’s nice, but driving it feels a bit strange,” he said.

The Monegasque explained that he still finds motivation in the challenge, adding that “I find a lot of motivation in working and finding solutions to problems I’ve never encountered in my career because I’ve never had these cars.”

While the on‑track feeling is unfamiliar, he said that “off track it’s super interesting and that’s where I get a lot of pleasure working with the engineers to find solutions.”

Despite Ferrari’s smooth and productive test, Leclerc’s most striking message was his suspicion of Mercedes’ true performance level. Their one‑two finish on the final day did not convince him.

Instead, the eight-time Grand Prix winner believes the Silver Arrows are deliberately keeping their cards close. “I think Mercedes is hiding a massive amount,” he repeated, making it clear that he expects them to reveal far more speed once the season begins.