Charles Leclerc News, interviews, analysis & reaction - Motorsport Week https://www.motorsportweek.com/tag/leclerc/ Motorsport Week is an independent, FIA accredited motorsport website delivering the latest Formula 1, Formula E, GP2, GP3, WEC, IndyCar, Nascar, Formula 3, WRC, WRX, DTM, IMSA and MotoGP news and results. Fri, 21 Mar 2025 11:53:01 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/cropped-favicon-1-32x32.png Charles Leclerc News, interviews, analysis & reaction - Motorsport Week https://www.motorsportweek.com/tag/leclerc/ 32 32 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc escapes punishment in F1 China Sprint qualifying https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/21/ferraris-charles-leclerc-escapes-punishment-in-f1-china-sprint-qualifying/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/21/ferraris-charles-leclerc-escapes-punishment-in-f1-china-sprint-qualifying/#respond Fri, 21 Mar 2025 11:52:43 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=202021 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc dodged punishment in F1 China Sprint Qualifying

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll have escaped a penalty after Sprint Qualifying at the F1 Chinese GP.

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Ferrari's Charles Leclerc dodged punishment in F1 China Sprint Qualifying

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll have escaped a penalty after Sprint Qualifying at the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix.

Leclerc was investigated by the stewards after exceeding the maximum lap time limit during the second segment of Friday’s Sprint Qualifying.

The act by the Monegasque driver was a result of him slowing down to let Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton as instructed by his race engineer.

After the FIA stewards investigated the matter, they deemed no sporting advantage was gained and Leclerc wasn’t driving “unreasonably slowly” or in a matter to danger his fellow competitors, thus escaping punishment.

Aston Martin’s Stroll was also investigated for breaching the maximum time limit during Friday’s session.

However, the Canadian escaped punishment as his lap was in preparation for a push run on his second tour of the Shanghai International Circuit.

Thanks to his preparation lap being impacted by McLaren’s Lando Norris coming through, Stroll was handed a reprieve by the stewards.

“The evidence showed that Stroll stayed at or above speeds necessary to stay below

1:54.0 around the vast majority of the circuit,” the verdict read. 

“In this case Stroll’s ability to stay below 1:54.0 was compromised by Norris’ overtake. No car behind Stroll was affected because the two cars following were on in-laps. 

“Therefore, Stroll did not impede other drivers and gained no sporting advantage.”

READ MORE – Charles Leclerc reveals the repeat China struggles behind Lewis Hamilton deficit

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Charles Leclerc reveals the repeat China struggles behind Lewis Hamilton deficit https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/21/charles-leclerc-reveals-the-repeat-china-struggles-behind-lewis-hamilton-deficit/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/21/charles-leclerc-reveals-the-repeat-china-struggles-behind-lewis-hamilton-deficit/#respond Fri, 21 Mar 2025 10:26:10 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=201995 Charles Leclerc has struggled at the Chinese GP compared to Lewis Hamilton

Charles Leclerc has revealed that repeat struggles at the track which hosts the F1 Chinese Grand Prix are behind his gap to Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

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Charles Leclerc has struggled at the Chinese GP compared to Lewis Hamilton

Charles Leclerc has revealed that repeat struggles at the track which hosts the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix are behind his gap to Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton was on song in his second race weekend with Ferrari as he edged out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to collect his maiden pole position with the Italian marque.

However, Leclerc was unable to rival the seven-time F1 champion as he propped up over two-tenths adrift in fourth place, behind Oscar Piastri in the leading McLaren.

Leclerc had trailed Hamilton in the standalone practice hour and that pattern was maintained across all three segments in the session that determines the Sprint grid.

The Monegasque explained how trouble getting the car rotated through the opening complex of corners was a limiting factor that also hampered him 12 months ago.

“I’ve struggled on my side of the garage,” Leclerc admitted. “From the beginning, I felt like I was a step back compared to Lewis and Lewis was faster today.

“Struggled a lot in Turns 1, 2, 3 which is more or less the same struggle that I had last year which is a bit of a shame.

“But apart from that everything was quite tight, so it’s a shame we start P4. But Lewis on pole, and hopefully we can have a good race tomorrow.”

Charles Leclerc has opened up on his struggles in China
Charles Leclerc has opened up on his struggles in China

Leclerc lacking confidence in Ferrari’s SF-25

Leclerc admitted he had more trust to explore the SF-25’s limits compared to the preceding practice session, but not enough to replicate the time Hamilton produced.

Asked how challenging FP1 was with the track conditions, Leclerc responded: “Very difficult. We really struggled to put everything in the right window.

“At the end of the day, it felt a little bit better in qualifying, but not where I wanted it to be.

“So still some work to be done for qualifying tomorrow. However, the race is another story and this we will only see tomorrow.”

Leclerc highlights decisive element to China Sprint

Leclerc suspects the high demand that is placed on the tyres at the Shanghai International Circuit will play a dominant role in the outcome of the 19-lap Sprint race.

“First we have a Sprint race which I think will be tricky around here with the tyres and we have to focus on that, then we’ll see about qualifying later on,” he added.

READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari car ‘came alive’ for ‘shock’ F1 Chinese GP Sprint pole

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Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari car ‘came alive’ for ‘shock’ F1 Chinese GP Sprint pole https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/21/lewis-hamilton-ferrari-car-came-alive-for-shock-f1-chinese-gp-sprint-pole/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/21/lewis-hamilton-ferrari-car-came-alive-for-shock-f1-chinese-gp-sprint-pole/#respond Fri, 21 Mar 2025 09:14:21 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=201980 Lewis Hamilton earned his maiden Ferrari pole position for the Chinese GP Sprint race

Lewis Hamilton revelled in his Ferrari F1 car "coming alive" as he bagged his maiden pole position with the team in Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix.

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Lewis Hamilton earned his maiden Ferrari pole position for the Chinese GP Sprint race

Lewis Hamilton revelled in his Ferrari Formula 1 car “coming alive” as he bagged his maiden pole position with the team in Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Hamilton, the record pole and win holder at the Shanghai International Circuit, pipped Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to secure first position on the grid for the Sprint race.

The Briton had endured an arduous debut with Ferrari in Australia, but he had appeared much more at one with his SF-25 during the single practice hour this weekend.

Having held an upper hand over team-mate Charles Leclerc throughout the three segments, Hamilton’s sole run in SQ3 also saw him usurp the pacesetting McLarens.

The McLarens were unable to improve on their second attempts, while Verstappen came up short in a last-ditch bid to beat Hamilton’s track-record-setting benchmark.

“I didn’t expect that result, but so, so happy and so proud,” Hamilton, who edged out Verstappen by 0.018 seconds, beamed.

“The last race was a disaster for us, and clearly we knew that there was more performance in the car but we weren’t able to extract it.

“To come here to a track that I love: Shanghai, a beautiful place and the weather has been amazing.

“The car really came alive from lap one. We made some great changes, the team did a fantastic job through the break to get the car ready.

“I’m a bit in shock, I can’t believe we got a pole in the Sprint.

“Obviously it’s not the main race so we’ve got work to do tomorrow, but this puts us in good stead for the race.”

Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Ferrari SF-25. 21.03.2025. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 2, Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai, China, Sprint Qualifying Day. – www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Charniaux / XPB Images

How Hamilton earned maiden Ferrari pole

Hamilton believes nailing the opening sector on his one-timed run in the SQ3 shootout was pivotal to claiming his first pole in red, a landmark he described as surreal.

“My first sector was really, really strong,” he recalled. “I think that’s where I made most of my improvement on that lap.

“But just little increments through the whole place.

“There’s still time to find for sure which I’ll try and make sure I apply to the next qualifying session we go out in.

“It’s amazing to see the number one as you stop and be in the red car, it’s pretty incredible.”

Hamilton in the dark on Ferrari race prospects

Hamilton has conceded that he goes into tomorrow’s 19-lap Sprint encounter in the dark over how the Ferrari SF-25 handles over a race distance in drier conditions.

“I didn’t get to do a race run in Bahrain. We did the race last weekend in the wet,” he highlighted.

“But tomorrow will be my first real race run and Sunday will be my first proper race run in the dry with this car.

“I’m hoping that we can hold onto it, but I think the McLaren is very, very fast, as is Max.

“We’re in a good position, we’ll stay positive and we’ll keep our heads high and keep pushing forward.”

READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton grabs Chinese GP Sprint Race pole

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Charles Leclerc: Ferrari’s unlocked 2025 potential not enough to rival McLaren yet https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/20/charles-leclerc-ferraris-unlocked-2025-potential-not-enough-to-rival-mclaren-yet/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/20/charles-leclerc-ferraris-unlocked-2025-potential-not-enough-to-rival-mclaren-yet/#respond Thu, 20 Mar 2025 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=201889 Charles Leclerc is convinced there is more to come from Ferrari in 2025

Charles Leclerc has reiterated that Ferrari's 2025 F1 car possesses "much better potential" than has been seen to date, but still not enough to match McLaren.

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Charles Leclerc is convinced there is more to come from Ferrari in 2025

Charles Leclerc has reiterated that Ferrari’s 2025 Formula 1 car possesses “much better potential” than has been seen to date, but still not enough to match McLaren.

Ferrari’s strong end to the previous campaign had witnessed it enter the current season expected to be engaged in a close battle with McLaren right at the sharp end.

But while that appeared poised to be the case when Leclerc topped FP2 in Australia, the Italian marque’s pace regressed as the season-opening weekend progressed.

Having languished seventh and eighth on the grid, Ferrari’s struggles in variable conditions and a strategic error culminated in the team attaining a meagre five points.

However, Leclerc, who crossed the line as the lead Ferrari in eighth, has continued to insist that the SF-25 machine is more competitive than was shown at Albert Park.

“There are many things that we can get that we can learn from this first weekend,” Leclerc said prior to this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.

“Obviously many things haven’t gone the way we wanted them to go but it’s only the first race of the season.

“We’ve learned many things since then and I’m sure that we’ll put all the bits together for this weekend and we’ll do a step forward.

“I remain convinced that the potential of the car is much better than what we have seen for that first weekend. But now we need to show that on track this weekend.”

Charles Leclerc is remaining calm about Ferrari's 2025 chances
Charles Leclerc is remaining calm about Ferrari’s 2025 chances

Ferrari not on McLaren’s level

However, the Monegasque has conceded that even a more optimised version of the SF-25 wouldn’t trouble the ominous benchmark McLaren laid down last weekend.

“The team is very motivated to turn things around,” Leclerc expressed.

“During the off-season there was a lot of noise, but I don’t think we are on McLaren’s level at the moment. But we’re closer than what we have seen in Melbourne.”

Ferrari awaiting SF-25 upgrades

Leclerc has suggested that Ferrari will be dependent on the circuit characteristics suiting the squad’s package to get closer to McLaren until it can introduce updates.

Asked how big the expected step would take Ferrari, Leclerc replied: “It’s difficult to know, because I think now every little difference can have a big influence on track.

“Also I think the track layout can have a big influence on whether you’re fast or not.

“If you look at the last four or five races of last year, it was Mercedes dominating in Las Vegas, us very fast in Mexico, McLaren very fast in Abu Dhabi and that was basically the same car.

“At this point of the season you don’t really have any upgrades. So I think there are many factors that come into play. We need to stay calm.”

READ MORE – Charles Leclerc rues spin costing Ferrari potential F1 Australian GP podium

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Ferrari disputes Charles Leclerc suggestion over McLaren F1 gap https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/17/ferrari-disputes-charles-leclerc-suggestion-over-mclaren-f1-gap/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/17/ferrari-disputes-charles-leclerc-suggestion-over-mclaren-f1-gap/#respond Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:30:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=201451 McLaren had a prominent advantage over Ferrari in Australia

Ferrari has insisted F1's Australian Grand Prix didn't provide a "representative picture" amid Charles Leclerc's concern McLaren was two seconds a lap faster.

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McLaren had a prominent advantage over Ferrari in Australia

Ferrari has insisted Formula 1‘s Australian Grand Prix didn’t provide a “representative picture” amid Charles Leclerc’s concern McLaren was two seconds a lap faster.

McLaren survived a chaotic season-opening race run in mixed conditions at the Albert Park Circuit to commence the new campaign on top as Lando Norris prevailed.

Ferrari had appeared in a position to mount a genuine challenge to the Woking-based squad based on the initial practice sessions as Leclerc topped the times in FP2.

However, the Italian marque’s challenge subsided as the weekend progressed, culminating in a nightmare race which saw the side’s cars lag home in eighth and 10th.

Leclerc, who led new team-mate Lewis Hamilton, professed that McLaren’s advantage might have been worth a couple of seconds per lap in the worst-case scenario.

“They were incredibly quick today,” Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week.

“To be completely honest, I know that they are incredibly quick because I’ve heard they are incredibly quick. 

“But my engineer didn’t even tell me once the lap times of the McLaren. I think they were too far ahead. 

“So I don’t exactly know whether it’s a second or a second and a half or two. I hope not two. But I’ve heard some numbers that are quite impressive. 

“So we’ll have to… Now I’ll go back and look into it and try to understand where we are losing the most compared to them.”

Fred Vasseur isn't concerned by Lewis Hamilton adapting to Ferrari
Fred Vasseur has denied Ferrari’s gap to McLaren is insurmountable

Ferrari denies Australian GP was representative

But although he has conceded that McLaren is ahead, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has asserted that the changeable conditions in the race distorted the overall picture.

The Frenchman noted Max Verstappen spurning 14 seconds within 10 laps to the McLaren duo when he experienced excessive tyre degradation to validate his claim.

“The conditions today are not representative at all of the picture of the performance,” Vasseur told media including Motorsport Week post-race.

“It is more that if you look from what we did Friday morning to Q2 it is much more representative than the pace in race conditions today.

“Even if you look on the time of Verstappen it was fluctuating plus or minus one second from one lap to the other because of overheating the tyres.

“The real picture of performance is Friday and Saturday. Even in this case, McLaren is one step ahead.”

Ferrari expects tight battle to materialise

McLaren’s nascent dominance has gone against the anticipation that the final season with the current rules would contain a close battle between the leading quartet.

However, Vasseur is convinced that the gaps are small enough to guarantee that the pecking order will take on an alternative complexion during the upcoming races.

“The expectation is always to do the best that we can, with the car we have and we keep the motivation,” he outlined.

“Our target isn’t P1, P3, P12; the target is to do the best job that we can.

“Today we didn’t do the best job but we will start from scratch in China.

“We have to always keep in mind the last four races, McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and us, we won one each, always with [a] big gap [to the rest].

“It was changing weekend after weekend because the fight is tight and if you don’t adapt the car to the weekend, the tyres, the track temperature, you are out of the range of performance.

“I think next weekend will be different.”

READ MORE – Red Bull highlights ‘quite strange’ McLaren advantage in F1 2025

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Charles Leclerc rues spin costing Ferrari potential F1 Australian GP podium https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/16/charles-leclerc-rues-spin-costing-ferrari-potential-f1-australian-gp-podium/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/16/charles-leclerc-rues-spin-costing-ferrari-potential-f1-australian-gp-podium/#respond Sun, 16 Mar 2025 08:09:21 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=201302 Charles Leclerc rued a spin costing him a potential podium in Australia

Charles Leclerc has claimed a podium finish might have been possible in the F1 Australian Grand Prix without the late spin that cost him numerous positions.

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Charles Leclerc rued a spin costing him a potential podium in Australia

Charles Leclerc has claimed a podium finish might have been possible in the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix without the late spin that cost him numerous positions.

Ferrari experienced a nightmare outing at the season-opening race as Leclerc trailed home in eighth, while Lewis Hamilton ended up 10th on his debut with the team.

Leclerc produced a strong start to dispatch Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda to be running fifth, where he remained until the switch to slicks under a mid-race Safety Car.

But that would prove to be the point where his race began to unravel as Tsunoda passing him on the restart preceded a spin at Turn 11 as the anticipated rain arrived.

Ferrari’s delayed call to revert to Intermediates cost Leclerc more spots to leave him languishing 10th, though he overtook Hamilton and Pierre Gasly in the final laps.

Leclerc conceded Ferrari committed the wrong decisions on the pit wall, but he rued his own error losing what he considered to have been a potential top-three result.

Asked whether it was a missed opportunity for Ferrari, Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week: “Yes, for sure. It was definitely a missed opportunity.

“I mean, especially in those conditions when it’s changing and that you don’t have the pace, it’s there that you’ve got to score the points and we didn’t today. 

“We were not fast enough at the beginning of the race when the race was kind of boring and then once it mattered to make the right choice, we didn’t.

“But the first one to blame is my mistake out of Turn 11 because this I’ve lost four positions or five positions, I think. 

“And from that mistake, then it puts us on the back foot. 

“And if you look three or four positions in front, then we are third or fourth, which I think was what could be done. So, yeah, but it’s the way it is.”

Leclerc has denied the communication between the cockpit and the pit wall should be deemed a catastrophe, despite the choice to remain on slicks on a damp track.

“This is something that we always look at and that we know is something that we need to always keep our focus on,” he reasoned.

“Whether today was particularly bad, I don’t think so. But we’ll look into it.”

Charles Leclerc is convinced Ferrari's 2025 car has good potential despite struggles in Australia
Charles Leclerc has admitted Ferrari has work to do amid a disappointing Australian GP

Ferrari lagging behind the leaders

Even without the mistakes, Ferrari had not been in a position to contest the leading places on merit amid the SF-25’s struggles to generate pace on the Intermediates.

“We were definitely very off in terms of pace compared to the McLarens and Max [Verstappen, who finished second], so we’ll look into it,” he acknowledged.

“But yes, for sure, we were struggling today. And the tyres, the intermediates, they seemed to fall off in the first turn pretty fast.

“Yeah, I mean, we were pretty similar to the Mercedes in front, but that was it. 

“Then McLaren and Red Bull were so much faster, so there’s a lot of work to be done. Why, especially in those conditions, I don’t know yet.

“But it’s been a weakness that we’ve had since quite a few years. I think we’ve been quite up and down whenever it was raining and we’ve got to work on that.”

McLaren ‘incredibly quick’ benchmark

The suspicion that McLaren’s advantage would be even more pronounced in race conditions was realised as the team dominated up until the late shower descended.

“Yeah, they were incredibly quick today,” Leclerc acknowledged as Lando Norris prevailed.

“To be completely honest, I know that they are incredibly quick because I’ve heard they are incredibly quick. 

“But my engineer didn’t even tell me once the lap times of the McLaren. I think they were too far ahead. 

“So I don’t exactly know whether it’s a second or a second and a half or two. I hope not two. But I’ve heard some numbers that are quite impressive. 

“So we’ll have to… Now I’ll go back and look into it and try to understand where we are losing the most compared to them.”

However, Leclerc has stressed that Ferrari should be mindful not to draw conclusions about the SF-25’s potential based on the race due to the changeable conditions.

“About today, I don’t think we’ve learned more than what we knew yesterday,” he said. “Today it’s such particular conditions that it’s very difficult to take anything out of.”

READ MORE –

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Lewis Hamilton explains qualifying deficit to Charles Leclerc amid Ferrari setback https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/15/lewis-hamilton-explains-qualifying-deficit-to-charles-leclerc-amid-ferrari-setback/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/15/lewis-hamilton-explains-qualifying-deficit-to-charles-leclerc-amid-ferrari-setback/#respond Sat, 15 Mar 2025 08:31:53 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=201135 Lewis Hamilton explained Ferrari experience was behind his deficit to Charles Leclerc in Australian GP qualifying

Lewis Hamilton explained his deficit to Charles Leclerc in qualifying for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix arose from him being further behind adapting to his Ferrari than he first thought.

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Lewis Hamilton explained Ferrari experience was behind his deficit to Charles Leclerc in Australian GP qualifying

Lewis Hamilton explained his deficit to Charles Leclerc in qualifying for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix arose from him being further behind adapting to his Ferrari than he first thought.

It’s an entirely new experience for Hamilton at the Albert Park circuit this weekend, his first GP as a Ferrari driver.

Throughout the weekend Hamilton has been positive but acknowledged he’s got a lot to learn acclimating to a completely new feeling with the SF-25 compared to his past 12 seasons with Mercedes.

Ultimately, Saturday was a setback for Ferrari as Leclerc and Hamilton finished seventh and eighth respectively in qualifying.

A spin in the Q3 top-10 shootout exemplified that Hamilton has plenty of work to do getting to grips with his SF-25, but he was happy to get within almost two tenths of Leclerc, given his vast experience at Ferrari.

READ MORE – Charles Leclerc not threatened by Lewis Hamilton presence at Ferrari

“We’re just improving every single lap, session on session,” Hamilton told media including Motorsport Week on Saturday.

“Big learning curve this weekend. The car was so much different from the moment I left the pit lane. 

“Just feeling so much different than I’ve ever experienced here. It’s been a lot slower process for me to really build confidence in the car. 

“If you look at the high speed everywhere, I’ve been down all weekend. Charles just had it from the get go. From the minute he went out, he knew what the car does. 

“For me, I was just building up to that through the weekend. I think I got a lot closer towards it to be that close to Charles in my first qualifying session in the car against a great qualifier.”

Lewis Hamilton said how his Ferrari is completely different to what he's driven before
Lewis Hamilton said how his Ferrari is completely different to what he’s driven before

Ferrari is completely different to Hamilton’s previous F1 machines

Asked to explain what’s different about his new Ferrari, Hamilton reeled off several items.

“From braking, through corner balance, it’s a lot different to what I had,” he began. 

“The mechanical balance shift that you have is much, much different to what I had in the previous car. 

“The high speed balance, the low speed balance is quite a shift. She behaves a little bit differently,” he said.

Hamilton given Melbourne reality check

Asked how long it will take him to get on track with his Ferrari, Hamilton admitted that he figured heading into Melbourne that he was further along in his acclimation.

Instead, Melbourne has served as a reality check.

“Honestly, I thought I was further along than I was and then I got here,” he said.

“FP1, I was like, jeez, ‘I’ve still got a way to go’. 

“There’s still a tonne of tools that are popping out like, ‘hey, what about this? I’ve never tried that. What does it do?’ 

F1's seven-time champion is relying on the Ferrari engineers to acclimatise
F1’s seven-time champion is relying on the Ferrari engineers to acclimatise

“It’s one thing saying it, but actually going out and feeling it. 

“I think we did some good work with trying to move the car forward,” Hamilton added. 

“As I said, when you have a problem in the car and you come in, normally when you’ve got the experience you can say, ‘this is where I want to go with it, but I don’t know which tool to use at the moment.’ 

“I’m heavily reliant for the first time on my engineers. 

“They’ve done a great job, but in the past I would say, ‘this is what I want, that setting, this setting,’ and I can’t do that anymore.”

READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton relishing profoundly new F1 Australian GP experience with Ferrari

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Charles Leclerc explains nightmare Ferrari F1 qualifying slump in Australia  https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/15/charles-leclerc-explains-nightmare-ferrari-f1-qualifying-slump-in-australia/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/15/charles-leclerc-explains-nightmare-ferrari-f1-qualifying-slump-in-australia/#respond Sat, 15 Mar 2025 07:25:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=201122 Charles Leclerc has explained Ferrari's qualifying slump at the Australian GP

Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari's 2025 F1 car possesses "a lot of potential" despite the team experiencing a disastrous qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix.

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Charles Leclerc has explained Ferrari's qualifying slump at the Australian GP

Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari’s 2025 Formula 1 car possesses “a lot of potential” despite the team experiencing a disastrous qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari appeared to have the package to contest pole position around the Albert Park Circuit when Leclerc headed the second practice session over the McLaren duo.

However, that pace didn’t materialise when it mattered as Leclerc wound up seventh on the grid, one place above his new Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton in eighth.

The Monegasque had been in touching distance on his opening run in Q3 – less than a tenth behind Max Verstappen – but was unable to improve on his last timed lap.

Leclerc, who was more than six-tenths down on Lando Norris’ pole position time, admitted that Ferrari lost speed relative to the opposition with each passing session.

“As soon as we started to push the car more and more and more, we found more and more inconsistency, which was a bit of a shame,” Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week.

“We lost a little bit the pace throughout qualifying. Q1 we were good, Q2 a little bit less good, and Q3 we had to push a lot to try and make the lap time. 

“But we didn’t really follow the track for some reason, so we’ve got to look into it and maximise tomorrow.”

Ferrari had been strong versus its rivals through the combination of corners that make up the third sector in practice, but that trend wasn’t maintained into qualifying.

“I think tyres are also where in the last sector you have the most overheating,” Leclerc highlighted.

“And I was struggling with it today a lot more than I did yesterday. So this is something that we’ll look into.”

Charles Leclerc is convinced Ferrari's 2025 car has good potential despite struggles in Australia
Charles Leclerc is convinced Ferrari’s 2025 car has good potential despite struggles in Australia

Leclerc implores Ferrari to investigate set-up changes

Leclerc divulged that Ferrari would investigate whether the set-up tweaks the side committed to overnight in a bid to improve the car’s balance had a negative impact.

“I think we’ve lost relative competitiveness compared to yesterday, which we know what we’ve changed, so we’ll have to look into it for sure,” he added.

However, Leclerc has denied that Ferrari’s 2025 car harbours a narrower operating window than its predecessor, despite the vast changes in comparison to the SF-24.

“I wouldn’t conclude that yet,” he retorted. “But in Q3, again, as a matter of fact, it was very difficult.”

“Today in Q3 was particularly difficult. Before that, I had no signs of this. We’ve got to wait and see. Today was particularly difficult in Q3 especially.”

Ferrari gap to McLaren not representative

The eight-time F1 race winner has insisted that the Maranello-based squad’s substantial gap to McLaren over a single lap isn’t representative of the SF-25’s true pace.

“I hope we are fighting closer to McLaren,” he admitted. “The feeling is that we are closer than the P1 now. Just in Q3, we lost our balance, we lost the window. 

“When the gaps are so tight, it’s very difficult to put a lap together as a driver. I think the gaps today are bigger than what they should be.

“But as I’ve said many times before coming here, it’s only the first race of the season, and it’s only a starting point. It’s going to be a very long season. 

“We’ve just got to stay calm, maximise points tomorrow, whatever that may be, and work from there.

“I think this car has a lot of potential, but for now we don’t seem to be in the right window. So we’ve got to find it.”

Alongside both McLarens, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and George Russell’s Mercedes, Ferrari will line-up behind Yuki Tsunoda’s Racing Bulls and Alex Albon’s Williams.

Put to him that there is no margin for error now, Leclerc concluded: “This for sure. This is a good thing for F1; we’ve got to be honest.”

READ MORE – Ferrari boss reacts to Charles Leclerc F1 title obsession

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Ferrari boss reacts to Charles Leclerc F1 title obsession https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/14/ferrari-boss-reacts-to-charles-leclerc-f1-title-obsession/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/14/ferrari-boss-reacts-to-charles-leclerc-f1-title-obsession/#respond Fri, 14 Mar 2025 17:00:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=201043 Charles Leclerc has called winning the F1 title his 'obsession'

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur empathised with Charles Leclerc claiming that clinching a Formula 1 title is his “obsession”.

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Charles Leclerc has called winning the F1 title his 'obsession'

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur empathised with Charles Leclerc claiming that clinching a Formula 1 title is his “obsession”.

Leclerc had one of his strongest seasons to date last term, finishing third in the Drivers’ standings and clinching three Grand Prix victories.

Ferrari was narrowly pipped to the Constructors’ title last year by McLaren and the Italian squad looks set to compete with the papaya-coloured machines for supremacy once again in 2025.

After taking victories at Monza and Monaco last year, Leclerc revealed that his only remaining goal is to win the Drivers’ title.

“I mean, this is my one and only target and goal and dream that remains to be ticked,” he told select media including Motorsport Week on Thursday. 

“I had quite a few dreams growing up. One was to be a Formula One driver, then to be a Ferrari driver, then to win Monza in Monaco, which I did. 

“Now it’s only about being a world champion. So yeah, that’s my obsession.”

This obsession was put forth to Vasseur during Friday’s press conference at the Australian Grand Prix, to which he said: “I’m not sure ‘obsession’ is the right word, but for sure, when you do this job, that is racing. 

“[Leclerc] started when he was three years old, that was 23 years ago, he’s spent his life on track, so for sure to have the goal, the target, or the dream to become World Champion is the normal approach.”

At this early stage, Vasseur was coy on Leclerc’s title prospects in 2025. 

“To know if it’s for this season or not, I don’t know,” he said. 

“We have to stay focused. He’s putting everything into doing a good job this season, and I’m sure he’ll continue to improve.”

Lewis Hamilton has referred to Charles Leclerc as 'Mr Ferrari'
Lewis Hamilton has referred to Charles Leclerc as ‘Mr Ferrari’

Leclerc feels title ready

With all the talk of Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari, perhaps it’s easy to forget that Leclerc has been quietly preparing for his seventh season with the Scuderia.

The Monegasque driver looked in fine fettle on Friday as he topped the afternoon practice session, acknowledging there’s more pace to come from his Ferrari SF-25.

His former team-mate Carlos Sainz has claimed Leclerc is at the top of his game, Lewis Hamilton has called him “Mr Ferrari” and if the cards fall in the right fashion, the Monegasque driver thinks he can live up to the hype.

“I feel as strong as I’ve ever been, stronger than I’ve ever been,” he said. 

“But that’s normal. I mean, in Formula One, it’s all about trying to improve as a driver.

“So I’m stronger than last year and last year, I was saying I was stronger than the year before. So as a driver, you always feel at your peak.

“But it’s been a very strong season for me last year and if we have what it takes in order to fight against the McLarens, the Red Bull on a par in terms of performance, I feel like I can make it. 

“But I’ve got to put everything together as a driver.

“So, yeah, only time will tell.”

READ MORE – Charles Leclerc hails significantly improved Ferrari in F1 Australian GP practice

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Charles Leclerc hails significantly improved Ferrari in F1 Australian GP practice https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/14/charles-leclerc-hails-significantly-improved-ferrari-in-f1-australian-gp-practice/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/03/14/charles-leclerc-hails-significantly-improved-ferrari-in-f1-australian-gp-practice/#respond Fri, 14 Mar 2025 10:30:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=201002 Charles Leclerc has seen a significant improvement with his Ferrari since pre-season testing

Charles Leclerc hailed significant improvements with the Ferrari SF-25 in practice for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

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Charles Leclerc has seen a significant improvement with his Ferrari since pre-season testing

Charles Leclerc hailed significant improvements with the Ferrari SF-25 in practice for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

There were question marks over whether Ferrari could challenge McLaren as the F1 pace-setter after pre-season testing, with balance issues creeping into the revised SF-25 concept.

It’s been well documented that Ferrari’s 2025 challenger features several changes from its predecessor, not least of which is changing front suspension from a pushrod to a pullrod set-up for the first time in 10 years.

The changes appeared to be bedding in well on Friday at the Albert Park circuit as Leclerc topped FP2, but the Monegasque driver admitted there’s more performance to come.

“Honestly, we did a good preparation work because the feeling with the car was good,” Leclerc said post-session.

“I mean, there’s obviously things that we need to improve as always and I’m not very happy with the balance yet, but we are in a much better place compared to Bahrain testing and there’s still some performance to find, but that’s the same for everybody in the paddock. 

“The cars are pretty new for everyone and so you’ve got to push it to understand why exactly is the limit, but it’s been a solid first day, now we’ve got to wait and see how it goes tomorrow when we push a little more.”

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc went fastest in FP2 at the F1 Australian GP
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc went fastest in FP2 at the F1 Australian GP

Leclerc and Ferrari targeting pole in Melbourne

Asked whether Ferrari can challenge for pole position in Australia on Saturday, Leclerc replied “For now it’s too early to say.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the real pace of everybody yet and I think some teams might hide their game a bit more than others, but for sure McLaren is up there.

“I think Red Bull might be struggling a little bit more for now, but you never know with them, especially with Max [Verstappen], you can never really rule them out.

“So I’m sure there will be in the fight and the Mercedes looks strong as well. 

“So it’s going to be a good fight, I’m sure.”

Still, despite admitting “I want to be cautious,” Leclerc has set his heart on clinching pole position.

“Let’s wait and see, but it’s right to say that after a day like this, we are looking forward to tomorrow and we want to try and target pole position,” he concluded.

READ MORE – Charles Leclerc shows Ferrari might in F1 Australian GP FP2 session

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