Ferrari deficit revealed as Leclerc offers…..read more
After a challenging weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc expressed disappointment over the team’s lack of competitiveness at the iconic Suzuka circuit. Despite securing a fourth-place finish, the Monegasque driver admitted he never truly felt like he was in contention for a podium, as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the two McLaren drivers pulled clear early in the race and maintained their advantage throughout.
Leclerc, who has shown flashes of brilliance this season, was unable to mount a serious challenge against the front-runners. He started the race on medium-compound tyres and pitted on Lap 21 to switch to the hard compound, mirroring the strategies of the leading pack. However, even with that move, he could not bridge the gap to the trio ahead of him and eventually crossed the finish line more than 16 seconds behind race winner Verstappen. The Ferrari driver had Mercedes’ George Russell closing in during the latter stages but managed to hold on to fourth.
Reflecting on his race performance, Leclerc offered a candid and somewhat dispirited assessment. “Yeah, it was a bit of an annoying race,” he said post-race. “I was completely on my own; the guys in front were too quick.”
He elaborated on the sense of isolation he felt during the race, indicating that he had fleeting hope during the first stint when the McLarens and Verstappen were still within sight. However, once the leaders began to push harder, the Ferrari simply didn’t have the pace to keep up. “In the first stint, I thought maybe there was something to do,” Leclerc continued, “but then they started to push more, and they were just faster.”
The weekend had already carried some pressure for Ferrari, coming on the heels of their controversial double disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix. Eager to bounce back and make a statement, both Leclerc and teammate Lewis Hamilton aimed for a strong showing in Japan. Unfortunately, neither driver could crack the top three, as McLaren continued to look especially strong at a high-downforce track like Suzuka, and Verstappen delivered another dominant performance for Red Bull.
Leclerc acknowledged the team had executed their weekend as cleanly as possible from a setup and strategy perspective. “Disappointing because, when you put everything together like we’ve done this weekend, I think the balance was in the right place,” he said. “There’s just not enough performance in the car.”
Despite the lack of outright speed, Leclerc noted that he and the team did the best they could under the circumstances by maximizing available points. “We’ve just got to maximise the points, which is what we have done. I hope that later on in the season, we can fight for better.”
When asked where he felt the Ferrari SF-25 was falling short compared to the McLaren MCL39, Leclerc suggested the deficit wasn’t isolated to a single area. “A bit everywhere,” he admitted, before highlighting the first sector as potentially the weakest part of the lap. “Maybe, if anything, the first sector was a little bit weaker. But that’s only by eye, which can be a little bit confusing sometimes in the car because, with the speed, you have this yo-yo effect as well.”
That ‘yo-yo effect’ he referred to captures the visual sensation drivers experience when they appear to close up or drop back slightly depending on corner exit speeds and braking zones, making it hard to precisely judge relative performance from behind the wheel. Nevertheless, the gap was evident — McLaren and Red Bull have taken a step forward, while Ferrari continues to search for that extra performance needed to rejoin the fight at the very front.
Leclerc remains hopeful that Ferrari can improve and close the performance gap as the season progresses, but his comments at Suzuka were a clear indication that the team has work to do if they are to challenge the leaders more consistently.
