Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has expressed concerns over the SF-25’s poor performance in wet weather, admitting that the team still does not fully understand the root cause of its difficulties in rainy conditions. While he remains hopeful that the newly introduced rear suspension can deliver a step forward, Leclerc also revealed that he felt no significant difference during initial testing at Mugello.
Leclerc on Ferrari’s upgraded suspension
There has been significant anticipation surrounding the full technical upgrade package introduced by Scuderia Ferrari, with much of the spotlight falling on the revised rear suspension. The component was first trialed during a private filming day at the Mugello circuit and is now set to make its competitive debut during the 2025 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. Naturally, the new suspension setup was the first topic raised during Charles Leclerc’s media appearance in the traditional Thursday press conference.
“We will only have one free practice session,” said Leclerc, referring to the Sprint format weekend, “but I don’t think that will be an issue. We had planned the arrival of the suspension well in advance, and I’m happy the team made every effort to have it ready as soon as possible. I hope it gives us a step forward in performance, and I don’t expect any adaptation problems.”
When asked whether he felt a difference during testing, Charles Leclerc confirmed that no noticeable change was perceived.
“We didn’t feel it,” he said. “But I won’t comment on the specific behavior of these suspensions—those are internal matters. It would be pretty foolish to reveal what component does what. We’ll discover more tomorrow on track.”
Chasing performance, even at the cost of drivability
Leclerc made it clear that, given Ferrari’s current competitive position, the priority is outright performance—even if that means sacrificing drivability and taking greater risks with the car’s setup.
“Confidence can always be found through setup work,” he explained. “If I need confidence, I look for it. But right now, I prefer to aim for maximum performance. It’s not a strategy that always works, as we saw during the Silverstone weekend, where I had my struggles in the wet. That’s the risk of running an aggressive setup. And I don’t expect the situation to improve in that area, because we still need to set the car up in a certain way to extract its full potential. I’m happy to take that route. Given the weather forecast for this weekend, we might need to find a few compromises to improve our pace in the wet.”
Ongoing wet-weather problems
The SF-25’s lack of competitiveness in rainy conditions is not a new issue. Ferrari has been struggling in the wet since the previous season, and the root cause remains elusive.
“I’d love to know why,” Leclerc admitted. “But I don’t think it’s caused by a single factor. It’s more likely a combination of things that, especially in extreme conditions, make life very difficult. Wet-weather driving has always been one of my strengths, even back in the junior categories. But since I’ve been at Ferrari, I’ve lost a lot of that edge. We’re still trying to understand why that is, but we haven’t been able to get to the bottom of it yet. Of course, you don’t design a car for the rain—but for some reason, our car makes driving in wet conditions particularly tricky.”
On Hamilton’s technical reports
Charles Leclerc was also asked to respond to comments made by teammate Lewis Hamilton during the FIA press conference. Hamilton had mentioned preparing detailed reports for the Ferrari engineers, outlining potential areas of improvement for the SF-25. Charles Leclerc welcomed the contribution and dismissed any concerns over internal competition.
“We’re both pushing to help the car improve,” said Charles Leclerc. “He prepares his points, I prepare mine, and then we have major meetings where we’re both present and we go over the areas we want to improve. We’re completely aligned with the team. Everyone is pushing in the same direction.”
The Monegasque driver also appreciated the unique perspective brought by Hamilton, who joined Ferrari this season after more than a decade with Mercedes.
“It’s always interesting to have someone like Lewis, who comes from a very different team and background. He naturally highlights things from a fresh perspective. But honestly, I wouldn’t say it’s that different from working with other teammates I’ve had in my career. We’re all here to improve the team, and we all prepare this kind of documentation to underline areas we think are important. In that sense, there’s really nothing unusual.”
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