Charles Leclerc is optimistic that the upgrades Ferrari brought to the United States Grand Prix will give the team a chance to win a race in the remaining rounds of F1 2026.

Leclerc backed up his runners-up result in Singapore with another drive to second place in Austin on a weekend where Ferrari introduced several revisions to the SF-25.

Charles Leclerc revels in ‘fun’ US GP race

Starting third, the Monegasque, along with teammate Lewis Hamilton, outdragged Isack Hadjar on the run to Turn 1 and then tactically deployed his battery going into the esses to surge past Max Verstappen in the sister Red Bull and up into second place.

“I had quite a good start,” Leclerc recalled to PlanetF1.com and other accredited media. “Then I didn’t want to brake too late for Turn 1, just to keep an opportunity of trying to cross back at the exit of Turn 1.

“But Lewis got very, very close, and then I used a little bit more of my battery to get alongside Max in Turns 3, 4 and 5.

“I didn’t really know how it would go, but, yeah, it was quite close, but it was fun.

However, Ferrari’s abiding straight-line speed deficit in 2026, combined with Leclerc having less battery power at his disposal, allowed Verstappen to close up down the back straight, setting the Dutchman up to regain the place with a lunge into Turn 15.

Leclerc, though, ran a longer second stint than his rival and capitalised on the newer rubber to catch and pass Verstappen into Turn 12 with seven laps to go.

“It’s one of those races where you’re not getting too bored inside the cockpit, and there’s something to play for,” he reviewed.

“I even thought the victory was possible at one point when I saw Kimi [Antonelli] going for the one-stop. Based on our numbers, he would start to struggle a bit more towards the end of the race. He never really struggled towards the end of the race, but, yeah, it’s been a fun race. A shame just that we came short of winning.”

More reaction to the US GP on PlanetF1.com

Leclerc – who topped the opening two practice sessions, while Hamilton completed a Ferrari clean sweep in FP3 – believes that Ferrari missed the chance to challenge Antonelli with the sudden slump both cars endured during the last stage of qualifying.

“I mean, if you look at FP1, FP2 and FP3, we were very strong,” Leclerc, whose personal best in Q2 would have been enough to line up second on the grid, acknowledged.

“If you look at qualifying, at the end of the day in Q3, it was extremely difficult to bring the tyres up to temperature, and we probably lost a shot at the victory there.

“But today Kimi was very strong, so, yeah, as a whole weekend, I think we’re just not robust enough.”

Nevertheless, with the latest updates, Leclerc is hopeful the Italian marque now has a package that has the potential to add to the two victories it has taken to date in 2026.

“Whether I can convert that into a win is a bit difficult to predict, because it’s such fine margins, and it also depends on what the upgrade plans of the others are in upcoming races,” he warned.

“But the feeling with the car is getting better and better. These cars are very specific and unique, and I feel like, over the last two or three races, I’ve unlocked something again in terms of driving, and particularly set-up with my driving.

“Just both together, we’ve taken a step forward, and I just feel much more comfortable with the car.

“So I hope that this will result in a win soon. Whether it’s in Singapore or here in Austin, we were quite close, so I’m confident that we’ll have a shot to win a race before the end of the season.”