The Monegasque driver chose not to provide any detailed explanation regarding the issue that slowed him down at the Hungarian Grand Prix, implying that the Ferrari team is still working to find a solution. Charles also complimented McLaren: “They found something, while we, Red Bull, and Mercedes are close, but behind. We will need to anticipate things in the future.”
No official explanation
The reasons behind Leclerc’s slowdown during the second half of the Hungarian Grand Prix remain behind the walls of Maranello. When asked directly about it, Charles simply replied, “I will not comment.”
Immediately after the race at the Hungaroring, George Russell had stirred speculation, stating that Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari was running very low, to the point where tire pressures had to be increased in the final stint to protect the plank. “I think the situation is much more complex than what George suggested,” Charles Leclerc commented, “but I won’t say more. As we mentioned after Budapest, we will not go into the details of exactly what happened. It’s something we are working on and everyone is involved in finding a solution. The only thing I can say is that the problem could reappear until we find that solution.”
Hungary as the biggest winning chance
“The Hungarian Grand Prix was certainly the race where we had the greatest opportunity to win, but we are talking about the first part of the season. Thinking about the ten races ahead, I have no idea,” Leclerc responded regarding Ferrari’s first potential victory of 2025. “Last year, if someone had told me we could win at Monza, I would never have believed it, so I hope to be surprised once again. However, starting on pole in Hungary, a track where overtaking is difficult, was a huge opportunity, and I don’t think we’ll have many chances this year considering McLaren’s strength.”
Reflections on past predictions
Time flies. Two years ago, on the eve of the Zandvoort weekend, Charles Leclerc predicted a Red Bull dominance until the end of that season. “I was completely wrong… which is why I won’t use the word ‘impossible’ anymore. McLaren has shown us that we were all mistaken. I think they have been the big surprise of this season. We all thought we had made a step forward, and we believed that being the last year of this regulation, everyone would be closer. That was true for us, Red Bull, and Mercedes, but McLaren found something we couldn’t, so congratulations to them—they did an incredible job.”
Paddock curiosity and technical secrets
Charles Leclerc’s compliments are widely shared across the paddock, but curiosity about what has given the two papaya-colored cars their performance boost is likely to remain until official answers emerge. “In a way, the paddock is a very small world,” Charles explained. “Every year, mechanics and engineers move from team to team. Someone points in a direction, and then you try to think how a rival could have achieved that goal. And you are also an important part in helping us try to figure it out!”
“Ultimately,” Charles Leclerc continued, “our main task is to try to anticipate all this—that is, to be the ones developing something that has never been done before. If you just follow a rival, you will at best finish second. But as I said earlier, I understand the curiosity around McLaren, especially at the end of a technical cycle. If a team takes a step forward like the one we’ve seen this year, it’s obvious that all rivals will analyze every possible detail.”
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