Ferrari were one of the surprises of the Monaco Grand Prix as Charles Leclerc challenged at the front for much of the race.
In fact, he led every practice session, and looked a promising shout for pole position until Lando Norris pipped him right at the death.
Leclerc then ran a sensible and measured race, sitting behind the McLaren and patiently waiting for an opening which never arrived.
It was still a successful Monaco Grand Prix, which yielded his best result of the season. There may be even more to come from the 27-year-old in the coming races.
Norris claimed pole over Leclerc due to a ‘critical’ reason, managing to harness the potential of the Pirelli rubber around the street circuit just slightly better.
Ferrari had no answers for Leclerc approaching his home race, but were pleasantly surprised to see that their car had more pace than usual.
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Sadly, overtaking is so difficult at Monaco that Leclerc never really looked like challenging Norris for victory. There’s also a reason why he’s second in the drivers’ championship. He has a solid car advantage.
The incoming front wing technical directive may be very useful to Ferrari in their quest to catch the front, having not gambled too much on flexible wings.
Gian Carlo Minardi has pointed out the key difference between Leclerc and McLaren’s Norris in Monaco on Sunday, which helped the Brit to victory.
“McLaren had a supremacy in the race, a calmness in managing the race that unfortunately Leclerc didn’t have, who did the whole race with a knife between his teeth,” he said.
“Both Norris and Piastri managed the race, so this is the difference that there is at this moment. On the other hand, if we do a cold analysis, the position and the time and the lap time of Hamilton is the Ferrari of today. Then Leclerc put his own spin on it, as he always does in Monte Carlo, and made the difference.”
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Why Charles Leclerc is still a dark horse candidate for the 2025 title
If Ferrari can continue to develop their understanding of the SF25, they should be in a much stronger position soon.
The upcoming Spanish Grand Prix was a negative turning point last season, but it should be the complete opposite this year.
McLaren will feel the effect of the incoming technical directive, and Red Bull may too. Where it will leave everyone will be fascinating.
In effect, there could be a mini mid-season reset of the running order, which puts Leclerc back in the picture for the title.
It would be something out of the blue, but based on what he managed last year, it’s impossible to rule him out.
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