Charles Leclerc targets McLaren after podium in Austria: “We’re closer, but now I want a win”. Charles Leclerc returned to the podium at the 2025 Austrian GP.

Charles Leclerc comfortably secured a podium in Austria as Ferrari returned to second in the Constructors’ standings. The Monegasque driver aims to push harder to “close the gap to McLaren.”

Spielberg was painted papaya orange, but there were smiles in red too. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton capitalized on Ferrari’s updates to finish the Austrian GP right behind the McLaren cars, reclaiming second place in the Constructors’ Championship. Charles Leclerc enjoyed being back on the podium but immediately raised the bar for the upcoming races.

There was a gap of nearly 20 seconds between the Austrian GP winner and Leclerc’s Ferrari, yet Maranello had reasons to smile. The Scuderia secured P3 and P4 on a hot Sunday in Spielberg and, thanks to Kimi Antonelli’s retirement, moved back into second place in the standings. The new floor is working, the updates are helping — and there’s more to come.

Charles Leclerc reviews the race: “We got the most out of it”
“I see this weekend in a very positive light, though unfortunately our pace wasn’t enough to win,” Charles Leclerc told Davide Valsecchi after the race which was held at the 4.318-kilometre Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. “At the start I tried to attack, but Lando defended well, which opened the door for Oscar. That’s where I lost second place. McLaren’s pace was simply too fast to hope for anything better. P3 was the best we could achieve, and I have no regrets — we gave it everything, but it wasn’t enough.”

“In the first stint, I probably pushed too hard trying to follow the McLarens. That led to some extra tyre degradation, but that’s part of the game. I tried, but it wasn’t enough today,” added the Ferrari driver.

Ferrari upgrades working, now chasing McLaren: Charles Leclerc’s ambition
The new floor debuted by the SF-25 at the Red Bull Ring was just the first step. “We need more speed. We brought some updates this weekend and they helped us move forward. We must keep pushing in this direction to close the gap to McLaren, who are still too quick.”

“Do I miss winning? Of course I do!” Charles Leclerc smiled. “I’ll do everything to return to the top step of the podium. That’s my priority — the whole team deserves it. I hope one of the next races, maybe even Silverstone, will be the right moment. We’ll give it everything!” he concluded after the Austrian GP.