Ferrari’s sector 2 woes persist in Monaco: Charles Leclerc sounds alarm over setup issues. Charles Leclerc expressed frustration over Ferrari's ongoing struggles in Monaco.

The extraordinary victory “at home” for Charles Leclerc in the 2024 Monaco GP is still fresh in everyone’s minds. An unforgettable triumph for all Ferrari fans, but according to pre-weekend expectations, it might not be so easily repeated in 2025. The technical situation with which Ferrari has arrived in the Principality this year might not help to recreate the emotions Charles and the SF-24 delivered twelve months ago. The current technical outlook is not as promising as it was a year ago, with the SF-25 appearing to fall short of its predecessor and unable to provide the drivers with the confidence needed to push to the limit through the tight Monaco streets, especially given its well-known struggles in slow corners — of which Monaco has plenty.

Same difficulties as yesterday…
There’s no way around it: to repeat the 2024 feat, the Scuderia will have to rely on the brilliance of its drivers to overcome the car’s limitations. Charles Leclerc himself had already spoken about these issues yesterday, though he did not miss the opportunity to search for the car’s and his own limits during all three practice sessions on the Monaco circuit. In doing so, however, he didn’t shy away from highlighting the Ferrari’s shortcomings and its inability to find an optimal balance across both axles. For this reason, during one of his early laps yesterday, he complained over the radio to his engineer, Bryan Bozzi, about the car’s handling: “We are nowhere — understeer in right-handers, oversteer in left-handers.”

Today’s words
Today, a similar radio message came from the former Alfa Romeo driver, after being informed about the gaps in the third free practice session in Monte Carlo (which ended prematurely due to Lewis Hamilton’s crash into the barriers at Casino Corner). Charles Leclerc reacted with a nearly resigned tone, upon learning that despite overnight setup work and his refined driving, the SF-25’s deficit in Sector 2 of the track — the only weak point of a Ferrari that otherwise looks sharp and transformed in a positive way — remained unchanged compared to yesterday.