Leclerc admits Ferrari has no hope of late-season revival

©Ferrari

40

In the aftermath of a disheartening Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc admitted that both he and the team fell short of expectations in Baku and that the remainder of the season offers little hope of redemption.

The Scuderia had entered the race weekend on the shores of the Caspian Sea with optimism, topping Friday practice with the SF-25. But the mood shifted rapidly.

Lewis Hamilton failed to reach Q3 on Saturday and Leclerc compounded the frustration by crashing at the start of the top-10 shootout, leaving Ferrari marooned in the midfield.

The pair eventually salvaged eighth and ninth on Sunday, though Leclerc was scathing about his own role in the disappointment.

“Honestly, it’s easy to blame the car for being very difficult to drive, and I think overall we have a disadvantage whenever it’s cold, but I don’t feel like I’ve done a good job this weekend,” the Monegasque admitted.

“It’s been one of my strongest seasons in F1 so far but this weekend I haven’t been at the level where I should be and I take responsibility for it.”

Leclerc conceded that his qualifying mistake had in large part defined the race.

“The mistake in Q3 made us start behind cars that didn’t have the pace that we had inside the car, but cars that were actually pretty fast in the straights and that was very difficult for me to overtake,” he said.

“So I was a little bit of a passenger for the whole race being in traffic and I couldn’t make up the places that I lost in qualifying.”

No repeat of 2024’s late revival

Ferrari has yet to win a race in 2025, a stark contrast to last season’s strong finish that yielded victories in Monza, Austin and Mexico City. Leclerc, however, poured cold water on any suggestion that a similar upturn is around the corner.

“It’s going to be difficult. It’s not the same situation as last year – last year we had a floor upgrade in Monza that gave us a big step forward,” he explained.

“This year we don’t have that so I don’t think that we have any hopes for it to be significantly better from now on.”

©Ferrari

The bleak assessment underlines Ferrari’s slide from early promise to mid-season mediocrity. Hamilton, equally dispirited, summed it up in blunt terms: the result was “painful” and “ultimately disappointing to come away from what felt like such a positive start to a weekend, to come with such a poor result, eighth and ninth, and lose second in the constructors.”

For Leclerc, the focus is now less on chasing wins and more on enduring what remains of a campaign that has left the Tifosi wondering if Ferrari can find a spark to reignite their season before the curtain falls on 2025.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.