Charles Leclerc Eyes Victory at Monza with New Engine Upgrade
Charles Leclerc will arrive at Monza with the same glint in his eye that has lit up this place before. Ferrari have brought an engine upgrade to the Temple of Speed, and both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are daring to say it out loud: a home win is on the table.
The tifosi would settle for nothing less.
A new engine, an old dream
Ferrari’s latest step comes under their 2026 ‘ADUO’ (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) allowance, building on the power unit update first seen in Austria. This one is aimed squarely at Monza – a circuit that strips a car down to its essentials: power, drag, and nerve.
Leclerc did not dress it up.
“It will have a bit more power, which is always a good thing. How much more power? Only time will tell,” he said, leaving the numbers to the engineers and the judgement to the stopwatch.
Ferrari know where they stand. The engine has been their soft spot all season, the weak link against the benchmark power units up front. Any gain here matters, especially on a track that is almost nothing but straights.
“To do a step forward will help us close a little bit the gap to the guys in front,” Leclerc admitted. Not a revolution, but maybe enough to turn a roar into a result.
Chasing another “very special weekend”
Monza has already given Leclerc some of the defining chapters of his career. The win in 2019. The emotional triumph in 2024. Add Monaco 2024 to that list and you have the core of his racing story so far.
“I’ll do my best in order to have a very special weekend like in 2019 and 2024, which are probably the best memories I have in racing, together with [the win in] Monaco in 2024,” he said.
Those aren’t just victories. They are emotional landmarks – the days when the Ferrari driver becomes something more than a name on the timing screens, when the grandstands feel like they’re on the track with him.
That is what he is chasing again.
Fine margins, perfect execution
The optimism is real, but it is not blind. Leclerc knows Monza can be brutal if the package is lacking in a straight line.
“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 key, in his mind, is not just raw speed but 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.”
That word – execution – has become a theme of Ferrari’s season. When they get the strategy right, when the pit stops are clean, when the drivers thread the needle in qualifying, they win. When they don’t, the podium slips away quickly.
“If there’s one track we can afford to maybe compromise a little bit Qualifying compared to the race, it’s this one,” Leclerc noted. The slipstream and long runs to Turn 1 can soften a slightly lower grid slot. But he was clear about the priority: “Our job is to make the car faster, and that will be beneficial for Qualifying and the race.”
New engine. New parts. No excuses.
“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,” he added.
Racing in Ferrari’s backyard
For Leclerc, Monza is not just Ferrari’s home race. It feels like his, too.
“Italy has always been very special for me. 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,” he said.
This is not the language of a driver simply clocking in for another Grand Prix. This is someone who sees Monza as a return to his roots, with the added weight – and thrill – of doing it in red.
“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 car will be faster. The crowd will be louder. The expectations, as always at Monza in Ferrari colours, will be unforgiving.
Now the question is simple: can a few more horsepower and a flawless weekend turn that red tide into another unforgettable Sunday?
