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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Motorsport Red Zone
For Ferrari fans. The latest Scuderia Ferrari F1 news, driver updates, technical analysis and race reaction from Maranello and beyond.
Charles Leclerc has dismissed Isack Hadjar's suggestion that Max Verstappen would have won the Singapore Grand Prix by a bigger margin in a Ferrari, calling it "nonsense".
The four-time champion dominated the race weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, claiming pole position for the sprint and grand prix and winning both races. While he won by an impressive 7.3 seconds over Ferrari's Leclerc in second place, Verstappen's team-mate Isack Hadjar claimed the Dutchman would have won by a larger margin if he had been in the Maranello outfit's machinery.
When Hadjar's comments were put to Leclerc in Austin, the Ferrari driver rejected the idea that anyone outside the team can judge another team's car.
"Well, first of all, I think it's nonsense to start saying these kinds of things. Isack has no idea what kind of car we drive, and I have no idea what kind of car he drives," Leclerc explained.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Colin McMaster / LAT Images via Getty Images
"I think it's such a tight field that it's very, very difficult for us to predict. Yes, of course, we have an idea of how we will be on this track, but when you are speaking about such fine margins, it relies really on optimising your package, and that has a much bigger influence than what we expect in terms of cars.
"I think the only outlier in the last few races is maybe Mercedes, that we expected to be further ahead than they actually were. If they manage to finally unlock the performance that we had in mind for them in the last few races, then they will be further ahead than any others. But otherwise, it's going to be very tight."
The United States Grand Prix kicks off the penultimate triple-header of the 2026 season. Heading into the race weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, Leclerc sits fifth in the drivers' standings with 215 points. Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli leads with 340 points and is followed by George Russell in second on 238 points and Lewis Hamilton in third with 229 points.