Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has somewhat gone under the radar this season for a variety of reasons.
All of the focus at Ferrari has been on the arrival of Lewis Hamilton with the seven-time world champion hoping to end the Scuderia’s long wait for a world championship.
However, Hamilton’s difficult start to 2025 has drawn further attention towards his side of the garage and away from Charles Leclerc.
The British driver has nevertheless delivered the best result of the season for Ferrari, winning the Sprint Race in China, but only one driver looks completely at ease with the SF-25.
Leclerc was struggling during testing, which would have given plenty of fans hope that Hamilton would establish himself as Ferrari’s number one in 2025.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
188 |
| 2 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
111 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
89 |
| 4 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
78 |
| 5 |
Williams F1 Team |
25 |
| 6 |
Haas F1 Team |
20 |
| 7 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
10 |
| 8 |
Racing Bulls |
8 |
| 9 |
Alpine F1 Team |
6 |
| 10 |
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber |
6 |
However, the Monegasque driver is yet to be outqualified by Hamilton for a Grand Prix and hasn’t been beaten by the seven-time world champion over a full race distance in 2025.
Leclerc appeared to make a breakthrough at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, earning Ferrari their first Grand Prix podium of the year.
While that may be the case, he’s still not completely happy with how the car feels underneath him.
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Charles Leclerc keeps asking for more front wing on his 2025 Ferrari F1 car
Journalist Roberto Chinchero was speaking on the James Allen on F1 Podcast about Ferrari’s inauspicious start to the campaign.
He explained, “When Charles arrived at the media pen after the race, I think the expression on his face said a lot.
“You can see that he is very happy with how he’s driving, and I think he’s also happy with the setup choices that he’s making in this first part of the season.
“But at the same time, a perfect job, because he did a perfect job, today, does not allow him to go the other place that is the maximum he can achieve.
“And this is the negative part of the story. I’m noticing in the last races that every time Leclerc enters the pits, he asks for more front wing, more full wing every time.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Oscar Piastri |
99 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
89 |
| 3 |
Max Verstappen |
87 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
73 |
| 5 |
Charles Leclerc |
47 |
| 6 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
38 |
| 7 |
Lewis Hamilton |
31 |
| 8 |
Alexander Albon |
20 |
| 9 |
Esteban Ocon |
14 |
| 10 |
Lance Stroll |
10 |
“And I think he’s pushing at the limit the setup on the front and this, while he’s driving very, very well, with his driving style, he loves the car with a very strong front end.
“And from that point of view, this Ferrari car, this season, can come to his aid. But in terms of overall performance, something is missing.
“So, it’s a mixed feeling for Charles. I think he’s driving very, very well in this part of the season.
“But he’s frustrated because driving well is not possible to achieve more than P3 at the moment.”
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Charles Leclerc explains Ferrari’s next ‘focus’ after successful floor upgrade
Ferrari introduced a new floor at the Bahrain Grand Prix which helped both drivers deliver their best result of the season before Leclerc built on that in Jeddah.
Leclerc has extremely high standards and is making a case to be one of the best drivers in the sport’s history never to have won a world championship, a record he’ll hope he doesn’t end his career with.
Speaking after the race in Saudi Arabia, Leclerc explained, “We absolutely maximised everything this weekend.
“We executed the race perfectly, both in terms of strategy and the pit stop. Our mechanics have worked very hard to arrive at this level and I’m really proud of the job our team did today.
“Looking forward, we have to focus on qualifying. Sector one was our main weakness in qualifying here, while it may have been our best sector in the race, so we will work on finding the right balance there and push to make another step forward.”
| RANK | DRIVER | TEAM | POINTS |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 25 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 18 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 15 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 12 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 10 |
| 6 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 8 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 6 |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 4 |
| 9 | Alex Albon | Williams | 2 |
| 10 | Isack Hadjar | RB | 1 |
Balance is one of the keywords being thrown around the paddock a lot this season.
It’s thwarting drivers racing at the very front of the pack like Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, and backmarker Gabriel Bortoleto laughed at suggestions Sauber have a performance window based on the steps they’ve taken this season.
If Leclerc and Ferrari can find that balance during the upcoming races, it might finally launch his 2025 championship challenge, and stop him from constantly asking for more front wing on the radio.
