“The SF-25 is strange, it changes from one session to another” – Charles Leclerc’s dilemma – Japan GP. The Ferrari SF-25 continues to change from one session to another.

Charles Leclerc secured fourth place during qualifying for the Japan GP and will start from the second row with his SF-25 in Sunday’s race. The Monegasque driver managed to extract the maximum from his car, placing it among the top four, even though his words at the end left a sense of uncertainty.

After learning of his fourth-place time, the Monegasque opened up over the radio. “I think it was a really good lap. The car is strange from one session to another, it changed quite a lot.” Leclerc’s words confirm a strong performance but also leave some doubts.

Ferrari continues to be inconsistent, but why?
Describing the car as strange and prone to change from session to session is certainly not entirely positive. Leclerc definitely played his part in lowering the time, but the car’s handling also played a significant role and affected everything.

It’s impossible to overlook the aerodynamic improvements, where Ferrari seems to have found a better balance, but it could also limit the car on the straights. On Friday, for instance, Ferrari set very good times in the first sector, particularly in the snake section, while on Saturday, they lost a few tenths to Max Verstappen and the two McLaren cars. But why is this?

Ferrari may have worked on the SF-25’s balance to recover mainly in the second sector, where they showed clear improvements. As Leclerc himself mentioned after qualifying, “We understood a lot about the car.” Could it be that Maranello hasn’t truly found the right way to understand the car?