Luigi Mazzola pinpoints “trick” to making the Ferrari SF-25 faster amid Jeddah podium. Former Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola praises Charles Leclerc’s approach with the SF-25.

Ferrari started this 2025 Formula 1 season quietly. After high expectations stemming from the end of 2024, where it lost the Constructors’ Championship by just 14 points, the Maranello team has dashed them all. The car isn’t easy to drive and, given all the new elements, still needs to be fully understood. Despite that, Charles Leclerc seems to have really figured out how to drive the SF-25 and is receiving praise from engineer Mazzola.

The pressure on the young Monegasque at the beginning of 2025 was immense. Having a seven-time world champion like Lewis Hamilton in the neighboring garage is no easy thing. Yet Charles Leclerc hasn’t let it shake him and has confirmed himself as the team leader at the Prancing Horse.

Aside from the first part of the second weekend in China, where Hamilton performed miracles by winning the sprint, in all other races he has always been behind Leclerc. Changing teams after over 10 years with Mercedes and adapting to a completely different working method is proving to be a real challenge for number 44.

Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, is always there. Even with an inferior car, he manages to rise above the problems, doing absolutely incredible things. Finally, after four Grands Prix, the Ferrari SF-25 achieves its first podium of the season in Saudi Arabia, at Jeddah, staying ahead of Lando Norris despite his far superior car.

His performances were praised by former Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola during the Sky Race Anatomy show. According to Mazzola, Leclerc has finally understood how to drive this car. “In Jeddah he asked the team to produce even more imbalance, managing the consequences himself. I wouldn’t give him a ten, I’d give him a ten with honors. It’s clear the car is quite unstable and he took a lot of risks during qualifying.

“He’s managing all of this in an incredible way. I get the impression that at Ferrari, they’re trying to find more balance to calm the rear, maybe even creating more understeer where you don’t want it. Probably Leclerc said he doesn’t care about oversteer: ‘Give me more of it, I’ll try to manage it and take the risk because I can handle it.’”

“So he probably made the car even more difficult, but more performant. He’s doing it in an amazing way and for me he’s the strongest driver on the grid right now, even above Max Verstappen, he’s in incredible form. He’s turning negativity into positivity and for me, at the moment, he’s the best.”