Charles Leclerc has shared his insights into the performance gains the Scuderia are intent on making and what their objectives are for the remainder of the season and 2026 as he secured his and Ferrari’s first podium of the year at the F1 Saudi Arabian GP.
Continuing to extract the most from a tricky SF-25, the Monégasque driver clocked the fourth-fastest time in qualifying.
On Sunday, the 27-year-old managed to extend his first stint on the mediums longer than any of his immediate rivals. Maintaining a solid pace on the hard compound tyres as well, Leclerc executed a smooth overtake on George Russell and held off the charging McLaren of Lando Norris in the closing stages of the race to cross the line in P3.
Leclerc only focused on improving the SF-25 right now, not Hamilton or the standings
Speaking in a media session during the F1 Saudi Arabian GP last week, Charles Leclerc touched on Lewis Hamilton’s performance so far and what he feels about being ahead of the seven-time world champion in the standings.
Stating that he is not preoccupied with the championship rivalry this early in the season, Leclerc noted how Hamilton is still adapting to the Ferrari single-seater. Furthermore, he added that his focus lies on improving the performance of the SF-25 and challenging for wins on a consistent basis.
“Oh, it’s not really something that I look at, especially at this time of the year. I know it’s still a new team for Lewis [Hamilton], he’s still getting on with the car etc.
“And to be honest my main focus is about the whole team and the actual car that will help us to win races on a regular basis. So that’s where my focus is, that’s where all of our effort is in.
“Championship wise, I don’t really look at it for now, I just focus on trying to have a better car at the moment, which is what we lack.”
Leclerc in favour of prioritising both the current season and 2026
In terms of whether 2025 is at risk of being labelled as yet another season of missed opportunity if Ferrari switch their attention to 2026, Charles Leclerc responded that it’s a nuanced issue.
Highlighting how the start to their 2025 campaign has been significantly underwhelming, the Monégasque nonetheless claimed that Ferrari are intent on pouring their resources into improving the SF-25 as long as possible.
Reflecting on the alternative approach, Leclerc, however, also emphasised the importance of maintaining a balance between the two and maximising their potential both in 2025 and the upcoming season. Additionally, he remarked that Ferrari should fully concentrate their efforts into next year’s car when it’s no longer mathematically possible to challenge for either championship.
“For it to be a missed opportunity, there needs to be an opportunity at one point, but for now we haven’t been at the level where we wanted to be from the beginning of the season.
“It’s still a long season and we shouldn’t give up for sure. We are going to push until the very end, but I think one can go with the other as well.
“We very often say, let’s switch to next year’s car straight away. I think these kinds of things are more and more with the new structures in Formula 1; can go parallel to one another. I don’t think you can be extreme in one way or the other.
“So yeah, it doesn’t mean that we are only focusing on this season, forgetting about next season, or vice versa. We are trying to do the best in both worlds; we’ll see where that leads us.
“Then of course as soon as the chances of a championship this year is not possible anymore, it probably makes sense to fully focus on 26.”
Motivation never lacking even after difficult outcomes
Asked how mentally difficult it is for a driver to put their best foot forward for the remaining races once a team decides to switch its focus to next year halfway through a season, the eight-time race winner responded that he never lacks motivation.
In the conversation during the F1 Saudi Arabian GP weekend, Charles Leclerc elaborated that even after a disappointing outcome, he is always keen to outshine his rivals even when he finds himself behind the wheel of an inferior car.
“At least for me it’s not really a challenge. I mean I am always fully motivated to extract the maximum out of my car, no matter where that brings me.
“Of course, you are always disappointed when you do everything perfect and the best result achievable is P4.
“But then you go back into the car the next race and, at least for me, I still have the full motivation to try and do something special and to maybe win a race with a car that is less good than the people around me.
“So that’s where I find my motivation is to try to outperform whenever I can; so motivation won’t be a problem.”
