The third round of the 2025 Formula 1 season begins: the Japanese Grand Prix. There is only one certainty, one goal: to beat McLaren, which is absolutely dominating. Speaking to the media on the drivers’ press day, Charles Leclerc outlined what their position in Suzuka could be during the race. Will they be able to put an end to Papaya’s winning streak?
The Ferrari SF-25 has been widely discussed at the start of this season. As happens every year—but even more so this time with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton—expectations were sky-high. And, unfortunately, as happens every year, they are constantly “shattered.” The start of the season for the Maranello-based team has been anything but easy: the car, featuring significant innovations, has not yet been fully understood by the Italian engineers.
In Melbourne, after a fantastic Friday, performance plummeted—partly due to the storm that hit the circuit on Sunday. The same happened in China: a strong Friday and early Saturday ended in the worst possible way. There is still a lot of work to do to catch up with their main rivals, McLaren, who with the MCL39 have brought a true gem to the track.
But despite everything, despite being fifth in the constructors’ standings and ninth and tenth in the drivers’ championship, neither Charles Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton are being too pessimistic. The Monegasque driver, speaking on this Thursday at the start of the weekend, analyzed the first two races and set the targets for Japan. “In Australia, we made several mistakes and paid the price for our choices. In China, however, we started very well on Friday, especially with Lewis.”
“He did a fantastic job in qualifying, and then on Saturday in the Sprint, he capitalized on starting at the front to secure an easy victory. In the afternoon, our rivals fine-tuned their setups, and we ended up on the third row. In this Formula 1, where the field is so close, starting in the midfield instead of at the front means that even if you have good race pace, you can’t really show it.” – he pointed out.
“That’s why we weren’t able to fight for the podium,” Charles Leclerc continued. “We need to work on having better qualifying sessions because I believe we have a very solid car in the race, which allows us to be competitive behind McLaren, who at the start of this season are doing what Red Bull did a year ago. The goal is to show the true value of our package already this weekend in Japan.” – the Monegasque driver concluded.
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