Charles Leclerc has urged Ferrari to remain grounded ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, admitting the team's impressive performance at Silverstone exceeded all expectations.
The Scuderia arrived at the British Grand Prix expecting to struggle against Mercedes on a circuit that places heavy demands on the new-generation Formula 1 power units.
Instead, Ferrari emerged with its strongest result of the season, securing a one-two-three podium presence as Leclerc claimed his first victory of the 2026 campaign.
Pre-race forecasts within the team suggested Ferrari's disadvantage to Mercedes could be magnified at Silverstone due to concerns over engine performance.
Even Lewis Hamilton had warned that Ferrari could face a significant deficit because of the strength of the Mercedes package under the current regulations.
However, those concerns never materialised as Leclerc delivered a standout performance to take victory ahead of George Russell, while Hamilton completed the podium in third place.
Spa presents a fresh challenge for Ferrari
Despite the breakthrough result, Leclerc believes Ferrari still has plenty to understand before predicting whether similar competitiveness will be possible at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Monegasque driver acknowledged that Silverstone was a surprise for everyone inside the team, not just because of the race win but because of the pace Ferrari displayed throughout the weekend.
"I think it's too early to say," Leclerc said when asked about Ferrari's prospects going forward.
"I think this weekend was a particularly big surprise for the whole team. Not the win, just the overall performance.
"I mean, we were a lot faster than what we thought, and I think as much as we need to analyse when things are going a lot worse than expected, we also need to analyse when things go a lot better than expected."
While Ferrari's SF-26 has been praised for its performance through slow and medium-speed corners, questions remain over whether the team's package can consistently challenge Mercedes across different circuit layouts.
Leclerc's victory at Silverstone also came with some fortune, as championship leader Kimi Antonelli appeared to be closing the gap before a mechanical issue ended the Mercedes driver's charge.
With Formula 1 now heading to Spa for round 10 of the championship, Ferrari will be hoping Silverstone marked a genuine step forward rather than a one-off result, but Leclerc is determined not to jump to conclusions until the data has been fully analysed.
