Charles Leclerc reveals what he really wants from final five F1 races of 2026

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc says he is “not obsessed” with finishing second in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, despite being just nine points off the position with five races to go.

While Kimi Antonelli is expected to wrap up his championship campaign this weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix, the fight for second place is alive and well between a number of drivers. Leclerc is well and truly in the mix. Russell currently leads the best of the rest on 242 points, just one point ahead of Lewis Hamilton, while Max Verstappen is fourth on 236 points. Leclerc is a close fifth on 233.

The Monegasque finished second in both Singapore and Austin, so enters the Mexico City race with momentum. Therefore he's not just looking for a second-place finish, he's looking for a win before the end of the season.

“I think as everybody knows, P2 is better than P3 and P3 better than P4, and so by that we’ll just try and maximise whatever we can," Leclerc said

Instead, the Ferrari driver said his focus is on winning races before the end of the year, with second place following naturally if he does.

“[What matters for me the most] is to maximise every race, race after race, and targeting to get some wins before the end of the season. If we manage to do so, then the P2 will be the natural end to the championship, but if not, then we’ll struggle finishing P2, but it’s not that I’m obsessed finishing P2 in the drivers’ championship.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: James Sutton / LAT Images via Getty Images

Leclerc has only won a single grand prix this year, with Silverstone scoring him the full 25 points. While his team is seeing an upturn in results, it may be too little too late.

“I feel like we are in a good momentum at the moment,” he said. “Whether winning will be on the table, this we’ll have to see, because we are definitely against very strong opponents and it’s not every weekend that we’ve got the pace to win a race.”

Leclerc’s view isn't dissimilar to that of Russell, the man he is chasing, who said earlier on Thursday that second place holds little appeal for him either.

“For every driver on the grid, there’s only one position that matters and it’s P1,” the Briton said. “And to be best of the rest is not really something you dream of as a kid. As long as it’s not P1 in this sport, it’s kind of that or nothing, really.”

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