Charles Leclerc of Ferrari secured third place at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka by defending against George Russell's late attacks from Mercedes. The Monegasque driver's smart energy management under the new 2026 regulations proved decisive in holding off the British driver. This marked Leclerc's second podium of the season.
At Suzuka, a track notorious for difficult overtakes, Leclerc battled Mercedes drivers throughout the race. Kimi Antonelli noted the challenge: “I think it was a bit difficult to get by when I was behind Charles because we obviously had two completely different deployments and it was just hard to find the right place to overtake.” Ferrari's approach gave Leclerc an edge in the early stints against the W17-powered Mercedes cars, which typically excel in clean air and tyre management. Leclerc regained third on lap 50 after Russell briefly overtook him at the final chicane, capitalizing on the Briton's energy expenditure. The 2026 rules enhance overtaking with boost and overtaking mode, creating speed gaps up to 25mph, far surpassing old DRS effects. Ferrari deployed energy strategically exiting the hairpin toward Spoon curve and after Spoon, creating a 'yo-yo' effect that forced Mercedes to burn more power while allowing Leclerc to recover for defenses on subsequent straights. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur praised the effort: “We want to get more, but I think it was a very, very strong drive from Charles at the end with Russell. It was important for us to keep Mercedes behind and Russell behind us. The last 10 laps, it showed also to everybody at the factory and to the team that we can do it.” The result boosted team morale ahead of a development break.
