Ferrari: is it really there? Today we’ll find out. Yesterday, in Monaco’s FP2, F1 hit a crucial moment to evaluate single-lap potential. On a track where precision is extreme, where every centimeter can make a difference. The telemetry analysis of Charles Leclerc’s best lap, compared to Oscar Piastri’s, allows us to highlight differences that emerged in driving style, precision, and car response.
We had anticipated it in our usual weekend preview: here in Monte Carlo, the SF-25 had a greater opportunity than usual to aim for the top positions. So far, Ferrari—especially car number 16—has shown excellent responsiveness, great precision, and, above all, growing confidence from the Monegasque driver, who immediately started pushing to the limit.
From Sainte-Devote to the tunnel: surgical precision and balance
At the first corner, Sainte-Devote, Charles Leclerc is very assertive on entry. He attacks the inside curb more aggressively, reaching the throttle a few meters earlier than Piastri. All without causing any wheelspin or instability during traction. On his best lap, he misses the exit wall by just 4 cm, a clear sign of how close he’s already pushing to the limit.
In this first section, up to car number 16’s arrival at Casino, Charles Leclerc gains 0.079s on the Australian. Uphill, in the Massenet–Casino section, the car’s balance becomes evident: Charles Leclerc holds a slightly wider line, with the rear following the front nicely, helping the car rotate. The telemetry shows Charles opting to modulate the brake input.
He chooses to maintain a rounder trajectory, unlike Oscar Piastri. The Australian decelerates much more sharply and linearly, managing to carry and maintain more mid-corner speed in his McLaren. This was somewhat the approach the championship leader chose in FP2 at Monte Carlo.
From Mirabeau to Portier: McLaren advantage in the slow
The next section, from braking at Mirabeau (turn 5) to Portier (turn 8), clearly favors the Woking car. We’re in the slowest area of the track, and in these low-speed corners Oscar Piastri shows greater control and speed, as well as more precision and rotation. He takes turn 5 with 9 km/h more and the Hairpin (turn 6) with 5 km/h more, while Charles Leclerc seems to struggle slightly more in getting the car to rotate.
We’re talking about the usual chronic rotation shortfall of the SF-25 which, although reduced, still shows up in certain parts. From the exit of turn 8 onward, however, Charles gets on the throttle slightly earlier and gains a lot in traction: this is quite clear from the speed graph, where from apex to tunnel exit the red line stays above the orange McLaren line.
From the Chicane to the finish: where pole is built
Arriving at the Chicane, a difference in interpretation is visible in the left-right: the Monegasque tends to brake a few meters earlier, losing some time on entry, but then on exit from turn 11 he gets back to full throttle earlier, managing to claw some of it back. Yesterday, this section tilted in favor of the Australian, with Oscar Piastri gaining about 0.115s in this part of the lap.
From turn 12 onward we enter the Swimming Pool section, and here we see the driver’s real confidence: Charles enters turn 12 with 5 km/h more and, above all, gets back on throttle much earlier than the McLaren. The same pattern repeats at turns 15–16, with the Ferrari driver even applying a slight throttle through the corner, probably to keep the rear as stable as possible, where instability is common.
In the final part of the lap, the SF-25 is still quite precise, although slightly less reactive in rotation than Oscar Piastri’s car. It goes through Rascasse 7 km/h slower, but makes up for it without losing time thanks to a very clean and consistent traction phase. Therefore, the SF-25 proves to be definitely competitive in some areas, and to aim for pole, absolute perfection is required: Monaco leaves no room for errors.
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