Charles Leclerc has claimed that the problem that curtailed his win hopes in Formula 1‘s Hungarian Grand Prix is “a lot more complex” than George Russell portrayed.
Leclerc led at the Hungaroring until an issue emerged on his Ferrari in the last stint that prompted his lap times to rocket and saw him slip outside the podium places.
Russell, who inherited third in the process, theorised that Ferrari had made alterations to Leclerc’s car during his pitstop to avoid ending up with excessive plank wear.
That’s an area where Ferrari has been caught out this season as Lewis Hamilton was excluded in China when his plank wore beyond the minimum thickness required.
Since then, the Italian marque has been compelled to run the SF-25 with more ground clearance to avoid a repeat, at a compromise to the team’s overall performance.
But while he was reluctant to disclose whether Russell’s suspicion was correct, Leclerc has stressed that it is not as straightforward as his rival had made it out to be.
When asked about Russell’s comment, Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week: “I am not going to comment on that. I don’t really mind about what George says.
“The situation is a lot more complex than what he portrayed, but I’m not really going to comment too much.
“I think, as we’ve said, we are not going to go into the details of exactly what happened, et cetera.
“It’s something that we are trying to fix and that we are all working towards, but, yeah, the only thing I can say is that it’s a lot more complex than that.”
With a revised suspension still not allowing Ferrari to operate the car at an optimal ride height, Leclerc admitted the issue will remain prevalent in the remaining races.
“I think they will be around still, but we are trying to fix them and to deal with them in a different manner,” he added.
Leclerc hopes for positive Ferrari surprise
Having been denied a chance to convert pole position in Hungary, Leclerc expressed concern that Ferrari could be poised to endure a first winless season since 2021.
But prior to the campaign restarting at this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, the Monegasque is hoping that Ferrari will prove to be faster than expected at certain venues.
When asked whether he still believes Budapest was the team’s best chance to taste victory in 2025, Leclerc responded: “On the first part, for sure.
“On the second half, I don’t know, and I hope that we’ll be surprised.
“Last year, if you would have told me that we could have won Monza, I wouldn’t have believed a person that would tell me that. I hope that we’ll be surprised once again.
“But, yeah, for sure, starting on pole in Hungary on a track where it’s difficult to overtake was a very big opportunity and we won’t have this year, considering how strong McLaren are.
“But yeah, let’s wait and see. I don’t really focus too much on the odds, I’m much more focused on what we can do as a team in order to be in the best place to challenge McLaren.”
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