Charles Leclerc has described Ferrari’s early-season form in the 2025 Formula 1 championship as “just not good enough”.
After a thrilling constructors’ battle between the two teams in 2024, expectations were high that Ferrari would once again challenge their Woking rivals this year. However, two races into the 24-round season, the Scuderia are struggling to keep pace.
Ferrari endured a torrid weekend at the Australian Grand Prix, followed by a rollercoaster showing in China. While the SF-25 car has shown flashes of potential, the team have failed to unlock its full speed for Leclerc and new signing Lewis Hamilton.
Despite some optimism that the issue lies in fine-tuning, Leclerc dismissed that notion in a blunt assessment.
“It’s as tough as ever to get the most out of the car,” Leclerc said to the press. “I don’t think it’s any harder this year, it’s just that our performance compared to McLaren isn’t up to scratch.
“It’s not about unlocking more; we simply don’t have enough pace right now. But I’m confident we can close the gap step by step, hopefully starting this weekend.”
Looking ahead to the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on April 6, Leclerc tempered expectations despite Hamilton’s standout sprint win in Shanghai. “We saw a leap forward in the sprint with Lewis,” he noted. “But Sunday was back to reality. I expect us to be roughly where we were in Melbourne and China’s main race.”
The numbers paint a stark picture: Ferrari are already 61 points adrift of McLaren after two rounds. Even without the disqualifications of Leclerc and Hamilton from fifth and sixth in China, due to separate technical breaches, the gap would still be a hefty 43 points.
That Shanghai setback, following Hamilton’s sprint triumph, was a bitter blow after hopes of a turnaround from Australia.
Leclerc, however, remains unfazed by the risk of further rulebook trouble. “Mistakes like that hurt, but you learn from them,” the eight-time race winner said.
“Everyone pushes the limits, but having both cars fall foul was a big hit. We didn’t need that, and I’m confident it won’t happen again.”
Reflecting on the season’s rocky start, the 27-year-old Monegasque admitted the opening races have stung. “It’s been a tough beginning,” he added. “The pace wasn’t where we wanted it, and losing extra points in China made it worse. We’ve analysed what went wrong, a mix of factors and not enough margin in our approach. I’m sure we’ll bounce back.”
As Ferrari head to the iconic 5.807-kilometre Suzuka Circuit for 53 laps of high-speed action, all eyes will be on whether they can reignite their championship hopes, or if McLaren’s early charge will prove too much to overcome.
