Charles Leclerc on P6 in qualifying: “I’m the first to blame, Vasseur should be disappointed” | British GP. Charles Leclerc admits frustration after qualifying P6 at Silverstone.

There is clear frustration from Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc after finishing Saturday’s qualifying session for the 2025 British Grand Prix at Silverstone in sixth place. His result placed him on the third row of the grid, a position that does not reflect Ferrari’s potential over the weekend.

The illusion and the reality
Scuderia Ferrari is understandably disappointed with the outcome, having secured only the third row after a qualifying session that fell short of expectations. Team principal Frederic Vasseur made it clear in his post-session comments that driver errors played a key role in preventing the team from fully capitalizing on the SF-25’s potential. According to the French team boss, the Silverstone weekend – along with Monaco – offered the strongest overall performance package Ferrari has brought to a race this season.

Charles Leclerc’s frustration was evident: immediately after crossing the line, he was seen hitting the steering wheel in anger, followed by a tense and strongly worded team radio in which he harshly criticised his own performance.

A ruthless self-assessment
Speaking to French broadcaster Canal+, Charles Leclerc was once again extremely critical of himself: “I’m very disappointed, and honestly, I think Fred Vasseur should be disappointed in my performance as well. Once again, and this is my immediate feeling, I’ve been struggling for about ten races now in qualifying. I just can’t seem to put everything together. I am the first one to blame, and it’s really frustrating because qualifying used to be one of my strongest points in Formula 1.”

While Charles Leclerc’s search for perfection is understandable, his words seem perhaps harsher than the actual facts warrant. There’s little reason to point fingers at him: even within the ten-race window he referenced, the Ferrari driver has managed to secure three front-row starts — in Bahrain, Monaco, and Austria. This demonstrates that his underlying pace and one-lap performance are still very much present, even if consistency has wavered at times.

Charles Leclerc continued: “When you start from sixth place, everything becomes much more complicated, and Saturday ends up putting you in a difficult position for the race. But I’ll say it again — I need to do better.”