Charles Leclerc has admitted that he has no idea when Ferrari will be in a position to win again in Formula 1, expressing that the path back to the top “is longer than I would want”.
Leclerc secured his best result to date in the 2025 season in the Bahrain Grand Prix as he came home in fourth place, one position ahead of Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
The Monegasque lined up on the front row alongside pole-sitter Oscar Piastri, but Ferrari’s choice to go with the Medium tyre saw him lose two places on the opening lap.
However, Ferrari’s gamble paid dividends as Leclerc utilised his fresher rubber in the second stint to overtake Lando Norris with a pass around the outside at Turn 4 on Lap 25.
But while he appeared on course to notch a morale-boosting podium, an ill-timed Safety Car scuppered Ferrari as both drivers had to switch to the unfancied Hard compound.
Despite a dogged defence, Leclerc was powerless to stop the Medium-shod Norris regaining third with five laps to go, resigning him to missing out on the trip to the rostrum.
Put to him that the intervention was unfortunate, Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week: “Yes, but I don’t think it will have changed a lot, maybe a little bit.
“I don’t know, but, I just think we were just not fast enough. I was starting to struggle a little bit behind George [Russell] as well, my tyres were overheating. I think we could have pushed him to go in, which would have been great, but we didn’t manage to do it.”
Leclerc denies Ferrari made wrong strategic call
Ferrari transpired to be the stand-alone team among the leading contenders to use the Hard to conclude the race, with Russell even completing a 24-lap stint on the Softs.
Leclerc has denied the Italian marque made a mistake, though, citing that the SF-25’s struggles with overheating ensured the red-walled compound was never a viable option.
Pressed on whether Ferrari going with the Hard compound was the right decision, Leclerc replied: “I think it was, considering what we had, but what George did with the Softs until the end, I don’t think that this was a possibility for us, but we’ll review that.
“But I don’t think that was a game changer.”
Instead, Leclerc insisted Ferrari’s greatest problem was not harbouring the outright speed to match McLaren and Mercedes rather than the calls taken on the pit wall.
“I think the pace was just missing,” Leclerc acknowledged. “Then, obviously, when the pace is missing, whatever strategy you do, you’re always on the wrong side of things. We are just not fast enough.”
Ferrari lacking performance
Ferrari accelerated an upgrade package to Bahrain last weekend in response to the unexpected complications the squad has endured with its capricious SF-25 machine.
But although the new parts – which included a revised floor – delivered a positive step, Leclerc stressed that Ferrari is still lacking competitiveness relative to the sides ahead.
“I think we just need more overall downforce, more grip,” he pinpointed.
“I think the balance we are extracting the maximum out of the car at the moment, but there’s just nothing more. I need more grip to go faster around the corner.”
Leclerc highlighted that Ferrari’s limitations are exposed in race trim compared to qualifying, where new tyres and low fuel help to conceal the car’s core weaknesses.
“In qualifying I still feel like we can hide that a little bit by doing [a] few tricks,” he added.
“But then once you are in the race, no grip is no grip, it’s more degradation.
“So, it’s a snowball effect once you’re in the race. So, it’s a bit trickier in the race.”
Leclerc unsure on Ferrari recovery timeline
Leclerc conceded that he is unsure when the Maranello-based squad is planning to introduce more developments that will be essential to reducing the deficit to McLaren.
Questioned on whether there were updates in the pipeline that could serve to provide light at the end of the tunnel, Leclerc concluded: “I don’t know. I think I felt the tunnel is a bit longer than what I would want.
“Eventually, I’m sure that we’ll find our way, but how long before we do? I don’t know.”
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