Not that he was looking for it, but Charles Leclerc said confirmation of the true Mercedes pace arrived at the Chinese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
Leclerc sees a potential opportunity to keep putting the Mercedes<\/a> cars under pressure, and looking ahead as the Japanese Grand Prix moves closer into view, says upgrades are \u201cin the pipeline\u201d for Ferrari. Leclerc, though, is unsure how much damage those can inflict when looking at the deficit to Mercedes.<\/p>\n Charles Leclerc reacts to Mercedes pace and Ferrari upgrades plan<\/p>\n Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust<\/p>\n Mercedes has displayed a clear one-lap advantage across the opening F1 2026 rounds in Australia and China.<\/p>\n Ferrari, though, boosted by its capabilities off the line, has proven a sterner test in race trim.<\/p>\n Melbourne, and the China Sprint, were encouraging, though Leclerc saw his concerns confirmed during the Chinese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Mercedes\u2019 Kimi Antonelli won the race, 25 seconds up the road from Leclerc\u2019s teammate Lewis Hamilton in third. George Russell ensured a Mercedes one-two.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to say I was waiting for that, because I was hoping that this pace, we will never see,\u201d Leclerc said of Mercedes after the Chinese GP.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I feel like, after testing, there were things that were just not stacking up. In the race, I didn\u2019t understand why we were so close in Australia, why we were so close in the Sprint. I guess now it\u2019s a little bit more in line.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean we cannot put them under pressure, and it\u2019s through a difficult situation, because with the fighting of those cars, it can be quite interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferrari\u2019s final gap to Mercedes was not helped by the epic battle between Hamilton and Leclerc for the final step on the podium.<\/p>\n Latest Ferrari news from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Ferrari issues rotating rear wing update after Chinese Grand Prix experiment<\/a><\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton hails \u2018best racing\u2019 of F1 career after fierce Charles Leclerc Chinese GP duel<\/a><\/p>\n After the first free weekend of F1 2026, the season resumes this week with the Japanese Grand Prix. After that, the teams will have a one-month break in which to take stock, and put their best foot forward at Round 4 in Miami.<\/p>\n Leclerc was asked about Ferrari\u2019s upgrade plans for the SF-26, as the Scuderia looks to reel in Mercedes.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are things in the pipeline,\u201d Leclerc confirmed. \u201cHow much is this going to make the difference when we see the gap with Mercedes, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamilton has admitted that Ferrari is unlikely to catch Mercedes in the short term. Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo, meanwhile, poured cold water on the idea of Ferrari ending its title drought in 2026.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n