Leclerc frustrated by familiar woes with SF-25 in China

Charles Leclerc cut a frustrated figure after Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he could only manage fourth place, over two-tenths behind his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton, in his second race with the Scuderia, claimed a stunning maiden pole, narrowly beating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri slotted into third.

Leclerc, however, found himself grappling with familiar issues at the Shanghai International Circuit, echoing the challenges that plagued him at the same track a year ago.

A Repeat of Last Year’s Woes

Leclerc pinpointed his struggles to the opening complex of corners, a problem that hampered him in 2024 as well.

“I’ve struggled on my side of the garage,” he admitted. “From the beginning, I felt like I was a step back compared to Lewis and Lewis was faster today.

“Struggled a lot in Turns 1, 2, 3 which is more or less the same struggle that I had last year which is a bit of a shame.

“But apart from that everything was quite tight, so it’s a shame we start P4. But Lewis on pole, and hopefully we can have a good race tomorrow.”

Progress Amid Challenges

The Monegasque driver acknowledged that the SF-25 felt more manageable in Sprint Qualifying compared to the earlier practice session, but it still wasn’t enough to challenge Hamilton’s pace.

Reflecting on the day’s difficulties, Leclerc noted the tricky track conditions in FP1.

“Very difficult. We really struggled to put everything in the right window,” he said.

“At the end of the day, it felt a little bit better in qualifying, but not where I wanted it to be.”

Looking ahead, the Monegasque remained focused on improvement.

“So still some work to be done for qualifying tomorrow. However, the race is another story
and this we will only see tomorrow.”

Leclerc’s fourth-place grid slot for Saturday’s Sprint race leaves him indeed with a big job on his hand, but Ferrari’s overall pace – highlighted by Hamilton’s pole – offers hope.

As he battles to overcome the recurring issues at Shanghai, Leclerc is determined to turn his fortunes around in the Sprint and beyond, with the main race on Sunday providing another opportunity to shine.

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