What can you say to someone like Charles Leclerc? He is driving a Ferrari that is anything but perfect, and yet, no offense to his multi-medal-winning teammate, yesterday he made a big difference with the SF-25 single-seater. Only getting on the podium certainly was not the result expected before the start of the 2025 Formula 1 championship. And yet yesterday, when he crossed the finish line, his satisfaction over the radio exploded after yet another strong performance.
At the end of every Formula 1 race comes the usual team radio, where driver and race engineer exchange hot takes on the race. At the 6.174-kilometre Jeddah Corniche Circuit, as mentioned, emotions were high. Bryan Bozzi came on the radio to confirm third place: “P3, great race Charles.” Then team principal Frederic Vasseur chimed in, clearly delighted with the podium: “Super Charles, thank you!” The Monegasque driver was clearly emotional but even made a joke.
Recalling the disqualification in the Chinese Grand Prix, he preemptively mentioned he would do some pick-up, namely collecting tire marbles to increase weight, and recharge the battery. Then he talked about the race, calling it a rather tough one. He congratulated the whole team, and although he admitted that third place is not the result he aims for, he said he was very satisfied, convinced that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race had been amazing.
Then he talked about the first stint, where car number 16 was very strong, especially in the second half after those ahead of him made their pit stops. The same goes for the second stint, where Charles Leclerc managed the tires extremely well and held off Lando Norris’s comeback. It was a result fully earned and pursued by the Ferrari driver, who had already come close in Japan in his battle with Oscar Piastri during a comeback drive.
Charles Leclerc said he was very satisfied with his race and, more generally, with the Maranello team’s work. He emphasized how the strategy was perfect and the pit stop impeccable, openly praising the mechanics who, in his words, often only get mentioned when something goes wrong, but who are actually doing an exceptional job that goes unrecognized.
According to the Monegasque, what Ferrari currently lacks is qualifying performance. He believes this shortfall mainly stems from an aerodynamic downforce deficit compared to Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes. However, he acknowledged tire degradation management as a strength, which really made the difference during the race. He admitted that on Saturdays, at least for now, he is not able to perform at his best, and this affects the whole weekend.
Despite that, Charles Leclerc feels he is improving. The Monegasque driver explained that over the past few weekends he has been better understanding some aspects that, in his view, have allowed him to take a step forward. He has not felt this comfortable in his car for a long time, even though he is aware that more overall performance is still needed to truly fight at the front. That is a non-negotiable goal for the near future.
Regarding the fight with McLaren, Charles Leclerc did not hide the fact that, for now, the gap is still significant. But he added that with the right updates, it will be possible to close in. In particular, he identified the Barcelona round as a key moment of the 2025 Formula 1 season, when the Technical Directive on flexible wings will debut, concluding by saying that until that point, it will be difficult to close the gap. Confidence, however, remains.
— see video above —
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