F1 Qatar GP – Charles Leclerc explains the real reason Ferrari never fought for wins in 2025. Charles Leclerc revealed the real reason behind Ferrari’s missed performance in 2025.

Charles Leclerc used the Qatar Grand Prix media day to reflect on Ferrari’s 2025 season, offering a very frank assessment of the team’s situation. “We have been consistent, but the performance was never enough,” he admitted. According to the Monegasque driver, the main issue was not execution across the weekend, but a simple lack of pure pace.

Charles Leclerc did not look for excuses. “It’s obvious. It’s just a matter of performance. It’s not like there is something else.” He added that both he and the team did everything possible to maximise the potential of the SF-25. “I feel like we did a good job maximizing our car throughout the year. But the performance wasn’t enough. That’s what we were missing.”

Why Ferrari never fought for victory in 2025: Charles Leclerc’s explanation

Charles Leclerc then compared Ferrari’s season with that of Mercedes, the team closest in terms of overall competitiveness in 2025. “Mercedes had very big highs and also deeper lows.” Ferrari, on the other hand, showed stability – but not in the way they wanted. “We were probably more consistent, but unfortunately consistently far from the pace of the best. We were never on the same level as the ones in front. It’s a matter of overall performance.”

– the Monegasque driver pointed out.

The Ferrari driver also acknowledged the impressive work done by their direct rivals. “The step forward McLaren made during the winter break and also the way Red Bull developed throughout the season created an advantage that we weren’t able to close.” Charles Leclerc stressed that the gap was not occasional but structural. What Ferrari managed to gain through management and optimisation simply was not enough against teams capable of evolving at high speed.

The conclusion of Charles Leclerc’s analysis is clear. Ferrari extracted the maximum from what they had, but the baseline level was not competitive enough. Consistency alone could not offset the fact that their rivals were faster in every condition. For this reason, the work towards 2026 becomes essential, and the Monegasque has already identified it as an absolute priority.

The Qatar Grand Prix weekend represents one of the final opportunities in 2025 to end the year on a positive note and gather valuable data. But the real battle – closing the technical gap before the massive regulation change – is only just beginning.