Charles Leclerc delivers a masterpiece, but Ferrari SF-25 remains an unsolved mystery. Charles Leclerc returns Ferrari to the podium in Saudi Arabia with a brilliant drive.

After waiting four Grands Prix, Ferrari has finally returned to the podium, even if it’s only the lowest step for now. Leading the Scuderia to this important result—one that certainly boosts the confidence of a team once again facing the nightmare of not being solid enough to fight for the title—was a fantastic Charles Leclerc, who delivered a solid performance on all fronts.

The decision to extend the first stint definitely paid off for the Monegasque. With a nine-lap tire advantage, he first overtook George Russell and then built a sufficient gap to the McLaren of Lando Norris, who finished behind the SF-25 at the end of the race. But the fact that Leclerc was able to lead the race for a few laps—and thus drive in clean air—highlighted an interesting point.

During the race, we witnessed Charles Leclerc’s incredible pace on the medium tires, almost on par with that of Lando Norris, who was running on the hard compound. This performance even surprised Charles Leclerc himself, fueling further doubts about a car that already shows clear issues and urgently needs upgrades to reignite the title hopes of its two drivers.

Saudi Arabian GP – Ferrari, Charles Leclerc: “Qualifying is our Achilles’ heel”
In the post-race interviews for podium finishers, Charles Leclerc emphasized how much the team needs to work on the car’s balance, especially with qualifying in mind, as he still hasn’t managed to put together a good qualifying lap so far. At Jeddah, it was the first sector where the gap formed between Ferrari and pole-sitter Max Verstappen. The times recorded in sectors 2 and 3, on the other hand, were in line with the Dutchman’s.

“A positive weekend. I feel I absolutely maximized everything we could do this weekend. There was nothing more in the car. I think we need to focus on qualifying because it’s been a long time since I’ve been happy with the car’s balance,” confessed Ferrari’s number 16.

“I feel comfortable with the car, enough to know I can usually get the most out of it, but unfortunately the car’s potential isn’t good enough to aim for higher qualifying positions. In the race, however, the car’s balance paid off. We were surprised by the pace we had in clean air during the first stint. Everything went right. Good strategy. Good pit stops. There was nothing more we could do,” Leclerc continued.

The SF-25 fuels Charles Leclerc’s doubts: “Yesterday we lost time in the first sector, today it was our best”
The 1997-born driver went on to talk about his feelings during the race, admitting that the fact the first sector was favorable in the race—unlike in qualifying—is due to a clear mistake on Ferrari’s part, one that needs to be resolved quickly.

Starting as far up the grid as possible plays a crucial role because it gives you the chance to drive in clean air. More than ever this year—as Leclerc himself admitted—running without any car in front is vital.

“This time we lost four tenths in the first three corners. For the rest of the lap we were fast. Today in the race, though, the first sector was probably the best we’ve had. We need to analyze the situation. We’re clearly getting something wrong and we need to find a solution. We can’t afford to lose too many races before fixing it, because we’re already 50 points behind in the Drivers’ Championship,” Charles Leclerc concluded at the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.