Ferrari boss reveals F1 change that brought renewed confidence to Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc bounced back from a tough period to win the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, and Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur believes he has identified the key to his driver's newfound confidence.

Leclerc had been unable to match team-mate Lewis Hamilton for much of the early stages of the 2026 season, falling over 40 points behind in the title race. 

Although Vasseur maintained that the Monegasque had not lost his edge, a change of brake material from Brembo to Carbon Industries, matching Hamilton's setup, saw Leclerc become a threat towards the front for the first time this year. 

Speaking after the Silverstone victory, Vasseur told media, including Crash.net, "Well, I think the result is the best boost of the confidence that he can have.

"Also, as we are developing the car from the beginning of the season, we will need to re-adjust the setup each time. Charles, on top of that, he had the change of brakes a couple of races ago, [so] you have to reshape everything a little bit. But it was not just a matter of performance. Performance was there, I think it was more a matter of confidence, and this will help him massively."

With his victory, Leclerc closed to within 39 points of Hamilton, who is in turn 32 shy of championship leader Kimi Antonelli - the Italian going through a rough patch with reliability biting in Spain and at Silverstone.

Asked if Leclerc had unlocked something in the car, Vasseur added: "He found the confidence. That's it.

"Each step of setup is not making a proper difference in terms of lap time, but sometimes, it's giving them confidence to push a bit more. 

"And for race pace, it's crucial. He was very consistent all throughout the race. If you have a look at the first 20 laps, he was within one or two tenths, and he was key for us to be in the fight with Mercedes."