Charles Leclerc has reflected on a difficult start to the 2025 Formula 1 season after he crossed the line in eighth position, revealing the “two things” the team needs to look into.
The wet weather race saw McLaren dominate with a strong win from Lando Norris. The Woking outfit looked on track to secure a 1-2 finish until Oscar Piastri got temporarily stuck in the rain-soaked grass. Joining Norris on the podium were Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell.
Unfortunately for Ferrari, the Maranello outfit struggled to match the performance of its rivals. Speaking to the media following the race, the Monegasque driver explained:
“For a big part of the race we thought P5 was secured and then the rain arrived and everything changed.
“It was a tough race and there are things we have to review and work on. We weren’t the fastest out there but in such weather conditions, there was a chance of scoring some big points which we didn’t capitalise on today.
“I lost a few positions after the spin at Turn 11. In the end, it wasn’t that bad, with the Safety Car that came out later on, but then we stopped a lap too late to switch to inters, losing positions again.
“There are two things we have to look into. The first is easy, it was my mistake. The second is something we will sort out as a team, looking into our decisions and making sure we make the right call if the situation comes up again.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Leclerc wasn’t the only one disappointed after the Australian Grand Prix as his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton claimed the SF25 was “really, really hard to drive.” He explained to Sky Sports F1:
“It was very tricky and went a lot worse than I thought it would go. The car was really, really hard to drive today.
“For me, I’m just grateful I kept it out of the wall because that’s where it wanted to go most of the time.
“A lot to take from it and just getting acclimatised with the new power unit in the wet conditions.
“The settings it requires are different, and a different way of driving and a different set-up on the steering wheel.”
The seven-time champion added:
“I hung out as long as I could, got in the lead at one point,” Hamilton said.
“Just the guidance with how much more rain was coming, was missing there, so I think we missed out.
“We tried to but the information I got was it would be a short shower, real quick. At the time, it was only at the last corner so to me I thought ‘the rest of the track was dry, I can keep this on track if that’s all that’s coming’, then more came.”
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