How Leclerc has changed his steering wheel software for the first time since joining Ferrari

Last weekend’s British Grand Prix victory was almost a moment of relief for Charles Leclerc, who had been looking for answers to the set-up changes introduced after the sprint in an effort to regain the feeling he had lost with the SF‑26. It is a win that carries a far deeper meaning than his smile on the podium suggests, as his gaze settles on a trophy almost weighted by the difficult weeks now behind him.

This has been the year of a technical revolution, and adapting to the new regulations has been anything but straightforward, even for the drivers themselves. Approaching the mid‑season mark, the new rules continue to impose driving dynamics that feel almost unnatural, such as lifting off before the finish line to manage electrical power, just as Mercedes did at Silverstone.

It has been a season of changes, and when it comes to Leclerc there is one underlying topic that, while flying somewhat under the radar, remains intriguing: his shift in approach to the steering‑wheel software. This marks a significant revolution, because from his first year at Ferrari until the end of last season Leclerc had always kept the exact same configuration, aside from minimal adjustments.

The configuration, even back then, set him clearly apart from Sebastian Vettel and from the driver who preceded him in that seat, Kimi Raikkonen. While the four-time world champion preferred having as much information as possible on the screen in a highly condensed layout, Leclerc had already opted in 2019 for a clean and immediate display, featuring large, easily readable and direct data.

This was a layout the Monegasque maintained until the end of 2025 and one that was also adopted by Carlos Sainz during his years at Maranello, with only minimal tweaks to adjust the arrangement of certain elements according to his preferences. Unlike other teams, Ferrari grants its drivers a certain degree of freedom to find a solution truly tailored to their needs and preferences. Lewis Hamilton has pushed to have a version similar to the one he used for so many years at Mercedes, also requesting changes to the steering wheel itself.

Yet Leclerc’s case is particularly interesting because it represents his first truly substantial modification since becoming a Scuderia driver in 2019. Of course, one might assume this was a necessity dictated by the new regulations, but that is not exactly the case: most teams, aside from minor adjustments, have maintained a very similar layout to that of the previous technical cycle, both in terms of software and the steering wheel itself.

Unsurprisingly, Hamilton has also kept a steering wheel layout very close to the one he used last year with the old hybrid power units, adding only a few elements such as real-time management of the MGU-K. In Leclerc’s case, however, the 2026 revolution seems to have been, above all, an opportunity to rework his software, which is now profoundly different from the past.

A new data layout and the MGU-K indicator

The first major change concerns the layout of the information. While until last year the data was presented in a clear and highly visible manner, it has now been completely reorganised: many parameters, such as speed, engine RPM, completed and remaining laps, or brake balance, have been moved to the left inside small boxes.

This rearrangement has freed up space in the centre for tyre temperatures (shown compared to a reference value) and brake temperatures, which until the end of last season were accessible using buttons in a secondary page, while also prominently displaying the current gear and selected engine mode, adjustable via the central rotary switch on the steering wheel. For 2026, however, there are two other highly intriguing additions.

As Autosport highlighted at the beginning of 2026 when looking at the McLaren’s steering wheel, Ferrari has also introduced a vertical sidebar on the right side of the screen, which clearly shows the driver how the MGU‑K is operating. When the bar extends upwards, the MGU‑K is active, deploying energy to the system. When the bar moves downwards and turns red, such as under braking or at the end of straights during superclipping, the MGU‑K is in harvest mode, recovering energy.

Leclerc softtware MGU-K usage

Photo by: Motorsport.com

The system that indicates to the driver how long he can use the boost (which allows him to attack or defend by briefly increasing the electrical power output) has also been changed. There are now five small red dots that help the driver track how long they can activate it, given that the boost tends to use a big amount of energy in just a few seconds.

There is a specific turbo indicator for race starts

It is fair to say that the race start also played a decisive role in the Silverstone victory. Ferrari’s technical choices and the optimisation of its electronics have made the SF‑26 one of the most effective cars off the line since the Melbourne opener, crucially ensuring consistent performance in a phase where many rivals have struggled.

Without the support of the MGU‑H and with the electric motor restricted from deploying below 50 km/h, spooling the turbo and bringing it into its proper RPM range has become significantly more complex this year. To increase safety and help those manufacturers struggling on this front. But how do drivers know when the turbo is ready and has reached its optimal operational RPM range?

While each team has its own method, Ferrari uses a progressive indicator coded both with a percentage scale up to 100% and a three‑color system (red, white, and green, with green indicating that the turbo is ready). It is a simple feature, but a crucial one nonetheless, ensuring the driver always knows whether the system is in the correct range ahead of the launch, especially given how vital this aspect has become this year.

Leclerc’s new steering wheel software for a race start

Photo by: Motorsport.com

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