Charles Leclerc has hinted at a “weird” and unexplained issue that he believes is limiting Ferrari’s one-lap potential in qualifying, after another frustrating session at the 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix.
The Monegasque driver, who will start sixth at Silverstone, admitted that Ferrari’s pace has been strong throughout the weekend, but a recurring, undisclosed problem resurfaced in Q3 — one he declined to explain in detail.
Leclerc, usually a qualifying specialist, confessed that this has been an ongoing weakness in his season, leaving him chasing stronger results on Saturdays despite his strong race performances.
After the first run of qualifying attempts in Q3, the Ferrari driver found himself in fifth behind the eventual polesitter of Max Verstappen, whilst his team-mate Lewis Hamilton spilt the McLarens with his first lap.
However, George Russell managed to edge ahead in his Mercedes to secure fourth, ultimately pushing Leclerc down to sixth at the end of the session — a somewhat surprising outcome given Ferrari’s promising pace in the practice sessions.
Leclerc later revealed that a mysterious issue had compromised his qualifying, though he kept the details vague, only confirming that it won’t carry over into Sunday’s race.
“The issues are very specific, the ones we have,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“It’s not a balance issue, it’s not a grip issue. I don’t want to go into the details, but it’s just something very weird that we’ve got to fight [with] the car.
“And especially when they are high speed, it makes it even more difficult.
“I hope we can resolve it, but the good thing, if we can say it’s a good thing, is that tomorrow we won’t have any of this. For sure, we won’t have any problems of that sort.”
Qualifying struggles persist despite strong race performances from Leclerc
When asked about his performance in Q3, Leclerc admitted that despite strong race showings this season, his qualifying form hasn’t been up to his own standards.
He acknowledged ongoing struggles to find the perfect lap and took responsibility for not delivering when it counts most.
“More than getting away from me, I’m not doing the job,” he added.
“I think since the beginning of the season, I’ve been performing very well in the races.
“Looking back at races, there are actually not many races where I would go back to change something that I’ve done inside the car.
“Unfortunately, when I look back at qualifying, which used to be my strength, there are many qualifyings where I would like to go back and change something.
“But every time I get to Q3, for some reason, it is not clicking at the moment.
“We’ve had good qualifyings, but we didn’t have great qualifyings, and again, this used to be my strength, so I’m not happy with the level that I’m showing.
“In qualifying, we’ve got issues, for sure. Particularly today, from Q2 onwards, we were a bit fighting with something inside the car, but it’s not an excuse. I need to be better.”
Leclerc optimistic about race pace but frustrated by qualifying setback
Looking ahead to the race, Leclerc remained hopeful, despite the challenge of starting from sixth on the grid, when asked if he could turn things around on Sunday.
“I hope so, but starting P6 again makes it so difficult,” he replied. “Because every time we are starting the race by fighting to come back, and then once we are back at the front, people that have had a clean race just have an advantage on us – so we need to be better in qualifying.”
He also praised the car’s overall pace and balance throughout the weekend, highlighting Ferrari’s strength on this smooth, high-speed circuit — but admitted that the mysterious issue still poses a challenge to unlocking the team’s full potential.
“Yeah, I think we had a strong car this weekend – the high speed in terms of balance, in terms of grip,” Leclerc said.
“We’ve got quite a stable platform also in the high speed, if you look compared to the McLaren, especially.
“So I think our car has some strength this weekend – again, this one issue that we are having at the moment is also making it a bit more difficult.
“So I think the car is good, we just need to put everything together, drivers and also maybe issues to challenge for more in qualifying.”
Leclerc went on to confirm that the specific issue would affect some qualifying sessions, but not all, so far this season.
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