Charles Leclerc will start from the fifth row in ninth position at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, returning to a circuit where he finished second in 2023 after leading much of the race before a Safety Car disrupted his strategy. This time, however, the Ferrari driver faces a much tougher challenge as the team struggled throughout the weekend.
Ferrari endured a difficult start in Las Vegas, with the SF-25 unable to extract the pace shown in previous events. As a result, the Monegasque will need to fight his way back through the field on a track where overtaking is already far from straightforward.
The task is further complicated by Ferrari’s strategic decision to run with higher downforce. This setup choice should improve tyre management over the race distance, but it comes with a clear disadvantage on the long straights of the Las Vegas Strip, where straight-line speed is crucial.
Charles Leclerc explained the trade-off the team accepted for the race. “We increased the downforce a bit, so it’s going to be complicated,” he said. “I think it will be better for tyre management, but it will be very difficult to overtake or defend.”
Despite these expected limitations, Charles Leclerc still sees positive signs from the weekend. “On a dry track the performance has been good all weekend,” he added, confident that Ferrari can still aim for a strong recovery if strategy and execution are perfect.
With overtaking expected to be difficult and tyre life set to play a decisive role, Ferrari will rely heavily on Charles Leclerc’s racecraft and the team’s tactical decisions. The challenge is steep, but the Monegasque driver remains determined to achieve the best possible result in a demanding Las Vegas race.
With teammate Lewis Hamilton starting dead last after his Q1 nightmare, Ferrari desperately needs Charles Leclerc to deliver big points to keep any faint hopes of finishing P2 in the constructors’ championship alive. A high-downforce gamble that preserves tyres while everyone else slides around in the cold could be exactly the kind of clever thinking Maranello needs to salvage a tough Vegas weekend.
Race start: 10 p.m. local time (Sunday 6 a.m. CET). The comeback begins from P9.
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