At the conclusion of the Sprint in Brazil, Charles Leclerc sent a key message over the radio to his pit wall, asking for a comparison with his direct rivals. The feedback offered encouragement for Ferrari fans, hinting at a less negative technical picture than initially feared. The thrilling Sprint Race at Interlagos featured several on-track battles, while Ferrari showed signs of improved race pace compared to the struggles in yesterday’s qualifying session, where Charles Leclerc qualified only ninth and Lewis Hamilton eleventh, lagging behind the stronger Mercedes cars.
After a solid start, Charles Leclerc spent much of the race following closely behind Fernando Alonso, effectively blocked for the majority of the laps. Despite having a clearly faster pace, the Monegasque driver lacked sufficient top speed to attempt an overtaking move. This was partly due to a higher downforce aerodynamic setup, likely chosen in anticipation of rain that ultimately did not materialize. Towards the end of the race, however, Alonso’s Aston Martin began to suffer from degradation on the soft tyres, allowing Leclerc to complete a clean pass three laps from the finish. From that point, the superiority of the SF25 in both race pace and tyre management became immediately apparent: on the following lap, with clear air, Leclerc pulled more than a second away from the Spaniard.
The final lap, however, could not be completed at full speed due to a yellow flag in Sector 3 caused by Gabriel Bortoleto’s crash, which forced all drivers to lift off in preparation for the chequered flag. As a result, Lap 23 remains the only real reference for the performance of the Ferrari, especially since Hamilton spent the entire race stuck in traffic, unable to demonstrate his true potential.
Charles Leclerc’s team radio gives hope to Ferrari fans
On the cooldown lap, Charles Leclerc communicated over the radio to his race engineer:
“The only lap I was able to push was the penultimate one, as I had clear air. How was it compared to the drivers ahead? I think it was roughly on par with Norris, as I saw the gap remain constant.”
This technical insight suggests that Ferrari’s actual race pace is closer to the leaders than the qualifying deficit implied during yesterday’s disappointing session. Leclerc’s lap times back this up: he set a 1:13.1, compared to Norris’ 1:13.0 on a soft tyre already showing degradation, and Verstappen and the Mercedes drivers posting 1:12.9 on equal medium tyres.
Overall, it is a small but positive signal for the Maranello team. Ferrari fans can hope that with the parc fermé reopened, the team can optimize the setup for the afternoon qualifying session, where the Scuderia will aim for a strong recovery and a decisive performance boost.
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