Charles Leclerc finished third in a lonely race after losing position to Oscar Piastri at the start. A podium isn’t enough for the Monegasque driver’s ambitions, but it does give a morale boost to the Ferrari team, which is working behind the scenes to introduce updates aimed at improving the performance of the SF-25.
“We can’t be satisfied with third place.” Charles Leclerc’s words after the Austrian GP reflect the mood within Ferrari, a team that began the season with much higher expectations. However, there are still positives to take from a weekend that brought the Scuderia a podium and confirmed them as the second-fastest team on the grid.
For a driver like Charles Leclerc, who always aims for the top, a third place may not mean much, but it’s still an encouraging result — a reward for the effort of the technical staff working to address the car’s main weaknesses in the early part of the season.
This message was echoed by Ferrari deputy team principal Jérôme D’Ambrosio, and reinforced by Charles Leclerc, who said the podium helps team morale, just like the front-row start in qualifying the day before. That qualifying result was also aided by Oscar Piastri not completing his final lap, but in the race, Ferrari clearly proved to be the second-best team.
It was a crucial weekend to evaluate the effectiveness of new updates and to pull ahead of rival top teams. The mission was accomplished, with a strong podium for Charles Leclerc and a fourth place for teammate Lewis Hamilton. The two Ferrari drivers had a fairly quiet race, with a solid gap to Mercedes behind.
Charles Leclerc acknowledged the impact of the new parts introduced in Austria but made it clear they’re only a first step in a longer development path.
“I think we’ve made some progress. The updates we brought here definitely helped us secure this podium today. We need to keep pushing flat out,” said Charles Leclerc to Sky Sport F1 after the race.
“No one is satisfied with this performance level, and we can’t settle for third place, but in a season like this, it’s something that lifts everyone’s spirits. There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes to improve things. We’re pushing hard. I hope the next upgrades will help us take the next step.”
One of the recurring themes during the race was lift and coast — easing off the throttle before braking to manage temperatures. It’s a concept Ferrari has dealt with for years on various tracks, and it’s especially important in Austria, one of the most demanding GPs for both the power unit and brakes.
To keep brake temperatures under control, drivers were asked to manage their braking phases from the very first laps. “It’s very hard to drive the car that way, but I understand why we have to. We’re in a position where, to get the most out of the car, we need to do it during the race.”
Even without lift and coast, however, McLaren was clearly out of reach, especially when showing its true pace. Ferrari’s goal was to re-establish itself as the second-best team — a goal fully achieved, especially compared to a struggling Mercedes that endured one of its worst weekends of the season.
“Today we really paid the price for it [lift and coast], especially on my side, because with the balance I had, it didn’t suit that strategy, so I struggled a lot. But even if we had run a perfect race, I don’t think we could have caught McLaren,” Charles Leclerc concluded.
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