Charles Leclerc revealed that he has made a breakthrough with Ferrari’s 2025 Formula 1 car at the Japanese Grand Prix that allows him to be at the limit “more often”.
Leclerc starred at Suzuka to take fourth place on the grid with a lap time that was three tenths faster than his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who qualified eighth.
The Monegasque’s best attempt in Q3 was enough to edge Mercedes’ George Russell to a position on the second row behind Max Verstappen and the two McLarens.
But while he trailed over two tenths behind Oscar Piastri in third, Leclerc is pleased the set-up direction he has prioritised has improved his feeling with Ferrari’s SF-25.
Put to him that fourth has been lucky to him in recent times, Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week: “I say that, but at the same time, I know that I’m not believing in any luck.
“So, yeah, our position at the moment is probably that.
“Honestly, I felt like we… I think we’re even a bit behind in the set-ups. I’m sure that we’ll see.
“But in race pace, I’ve done quite a lot of changes over the weekend.
“I’m in a very different place compared to the beginning of the season, and I feel a lot more at ease with the car. So maybe, I hope, it can surprise us in a good way.”
Leclerc ‘finding answers’ to 2025 struggle
Leclerc’s strong single-lap pace in Japan has been a complete contrast to the trouble he endured in China, when he qualified behind Hamilton twice over the weekend.
The eight-time F1 race winner divulged that he has unearthed a solution to the limitations that had blighted him with Ferrari’s 2025 machine at the previous two races.
“I’m finding answers on what I need, which is good already,” he elaborated. “But that’s not unlocking so much performance.
“But I can be at 100 per cent of the car more often, that’s for sure. And I’m confident that this will give me the confidence that I need going forward in the season.”
Ferrari still holding deficit to McLaren
However, Leclerc has conceded that Ferrari remains dependent on the developments that are in the pipeline to be in a position to challenge the teams ahead on merit.
“But then, performance and overall grip remains the overall grip,” he continued.
“At least, I can change, and hopefully, with the upgrades that we’ll have during the season, it will help us to close the gap.
“For me, it [the improvement] was mostly about the balance,” he reiterated. “There, I found something, for sure.
“On the other thing, again, I just need to wait a little bit further to gain overall loads, not really sure how sensitive the ride heights are or where we are standing with the ride heights.
“It shows that we are not fast enough and we don’t have enough grip to match what the McLaren and Red Bull are doing.”
READ MORE – Charles Leclerc casts ‘not good enough’ verdict on Ferrari’s 2025 performance
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