Charles Leclerc had a strong Formula 1 race in Saudi Arabia – despite the podium, it was the qualifying pace that worried the Ferrari driver the most
Charles Leclerc secured Ferrari’s first podium finish of the current Formula 1 season at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. “I am very, very happy with what we achieved today. It was the absolute maximum,” said the Monegasque driver after the race.
The foundation for Leclerc’s podium finish was laid by a strategically well-thought-out approach to the race. While many of his direct rivals, such as George Russell, came in early for a tire change, Leclerc stayed out on his medium tires until lap 29 – longer than any other medium starter in the field. This decision allowed him to build up a considerable tire delta in the clear air and thus strategically outmaneuver two opponents.
On the one hand, Leclerc was able to overtake Russell fairly quickly after his pit stop, and on the other hand, Ferrari’s late pit stop also covered the strategic leeway of Lando Norris, who was also betting on an overcut. This allowed Leclerc to successfully fend off the Brit’s attacks – even if it got close again at the end: “I knew it could be close. Especially when I had to briefly leave the ideal line in traffic and ended up in the rubber debris. I lost a lot of time there, but luckily it was enough,” Leclerc explained after the race.
According to Leclerc, another key to success was the car’s behavior when running freely. After being stuck behind George Russell for a long time in the first stint and complaining of severe understeer – “I hate understeer!” – the Ferrari really came to life after the pit stop. “As soon as I had a clear track ahead of me, the car came to life. The grip was there, I could manage the front tires, and the pace was really good,” said Leclerc.
Qualifying remains the big weakness – Leclerc calls for progress
As convincing as the race was, Ferrari once again disappointed in qualifying. Leclerc said he felt “extremely happy” with his lap in qualifying, but that didn’t change the result. He lost three tenths to the competition in the first sector alone, even though this section was one of his stronger ones in the race.
“It’s frustrating because it means we basically have the potential in the car – we just can’t always get it when it counts,” said Leclerc, who also emphasized that it was not a conscious decision to set the car up more for the race: ‘We’re not making any compromises for Sunday.’
“We’re just trying to make the car as fast as possible – but as soon as it’s qualifying, when you have to push to the limit and the tires have to be prepared exactly right, something isn’t working for us.” What’s particularly annoying is that the problems vary from weekend to weekend: “Last week we had problems in turn 13, this time in the first three corners. It’s not always the same thing – and that’s exactly what makes it so difficult to find the mistake.”
His frustration also came to the fore over the radio during the race. Turn 16 in particular caused Leclerc major problems. ”I tried everything, but it just wasn’t working. The car suddenly turned in extremely hard or not at all – it was unpredictable. At some point, I told my race engineer: ‘Let’s call it a day, I’m doing my best, but there’s no solution.’” Nevertheless, he was pleased with the relaxed tone over the radio: ‘Brian [Bozzi] was extremely chilled today. I, on the other hand, was anything but calm in the car,’ joked Leclerc after the race.
Leclerc: Title fight still realistic?
In the overall World Championship standings, Leclerc is now 52 points behind the leader. Although the Monegasque driver emphasizes that he does not want to focus too much on the standings at the moment, he is well aware that “50 points is a lot. We can’t afford to lose any more ground now.”
The next races, especially on the traditional European tracks, are therefore likely to be decisive. Leclerc is relying less on track knowledge and more on technical progress. “I don’t think it’s down to the track layout or experience – we just need a better car. As soon as we start further up the grid, we have a chance of winning.”
The statement that Ferrari is not in a position to challenge Red Bull, McLaren, or Mercedes in qualifying with the current package is a clear message to the technical department in Maranello. Leclerc is urgently calling for new upgrades, ideally in the next few races. “I don’t want to wait until next year to win another race. We have to find something now.”
