Charles Leclerc’s fastest lap time in Ferrari’s 2025 F1 car compared to Michael Schumacher’s Fiorano record

Charles Leclerc was given the honour of driving Ferrari’s 2025 Formula 1 car for the first time on Wednesday.

Ferrari’s private test track at Fiorano was the location of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s first outing in the SF-25.

It was a packed schedule for the two drivers and team principal Frederic Vasseur who were at the sport’s F1 75 livery launch event in London hours before they took to the track for the first time in Italy.

Vasseur said Hamilton was emotional during the ceremony at The O2 as he was unveiled publicly as a Ferrari driver for the first time in his home country.

However, just hours later, Leclerc was back in his race suit getting to grips with Ferrari’s new car over a 100km filming day run.

The Monegasque driver won’t get completely accustomed to the SF-25 until he and Hamilton arrive in Bahrain next week for pre-season testing.

They will have three days of unlimited running at the home of the Bahrain Grand Prix, although it won’t be until every team reaches Australia that we will truly know the pecking order on the grid.

Ferrari have made some fundamental changes to their car compared to last year and they will hope they make a difference in the constructors’ championship.

After narrowly missing out to McLaren in 2024, Ferrari will feel their new driver line-up gives them the perfect opportunity to go one better and end their 17-year wait for a title.

Charles Leclerc’s fastest lap time in Ferrari’s 2025 F1 car close to Michael Schumacher’s lap record

A report from Formula1.it has shared more details about Leclerc’s debut in this year’s car.

He tested several different set-ups during his time on the track, and the nature of Fiorano’s private circuit meant he could complete plenty of laps before his allocation of 100km ran out.

Although the circuit wasn’t open to the public, thousands of people turned out to see Leclerc and Hamilton in action when he took over the car in the afternoon.

Leclerc followed another vehicle around the track at one point to gather promotional content before being allowed to drive more freely.

The report emphasises that times at this stage of the season mean very little given Leclerc was still getting to grips with the car and it’s impossible to know what setup was being used.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s first lap times revealed after Ferrari testing at Fiorano

However, they believe that Leclerc’s fastest time was a 56.6-second lap, which considering Michael Schumacher’s lap record is 55.999 is quite impressive.

Leclerc’s reported fastest lap time in last year’s Ferrari was 56.88 meaning that it appears as though the team have made a small step forward.

It won’t be until the lights go out at the Australian Grand Prix that we will know for sure that Ferrari have made the correct development choices over the winter.

For context, Hamilton’s fastest time isn’t known at this stage, although the fact Leclerc’s Ferrari stopped on track may mean that the 40-year-old was asked not to push the car to its limits yet.

Charles Leclerc perfectly placed to ruin Lewis Hamilton’s first season at Ferrari

Leclerc admitted in his press conference after testing the car for the first time that Ferrari have to be aiming to win both championships this year.

He said in an interview with Sky Sports Italia: “To say that I have never gone so far out on a limb about the World Championship is not true, my desire to become world champion has always been the same.

“I love what I do but above all I love Ferrari, winning the title here would be absolutely incredible. I am trying to do everything I can to do it as quickly as possible and I hope this is the right year.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

“We have certainly worked very well, but not just me, everyone in the team has worked like crazy to arrive at the first tests as ready as possible.

“Many days in the simulator, many laps, everything has been useful”.

Ferrari fans will be enthused by how much Leclerc wants the team to win this year, but he’ll be well aware that if they’ve built the fastest car, he has the perfect opportunity to earn his first championship.

He’s expected to have an advantage over Hamilton in qualifying and that could force Ferrari to prioritise his strategy during races and from that position, there’s no reason why he can’t be the driver to end Max Verstappen’s dominance this year.