Leclerc delivers ‘painful’ Ferrari truth amid McLaren dominance
With the 2025 season having only 10 races left until its conclusion, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has offered a relatively ‘painful’ admission about his team in comparison to the dominant McLaren.
Leclerc, who currently sits fifth in the drivers’ standings, stressed that he does not believe there is a single track where Scuderia Ferrari can feel stronger than McLaren.
Sharing his thoughts during his interaction with the media, including GPblog, at the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, the Monegasque stated:
“I'm not sure. I don't think there's one track at the moment where we think we are stronger than McLaren.
"Consistently, McLaren is going to be the strongest car this year.
"Red Bull is a little bit more up and down, a bit like us and Mercedes, but there's one constant, and that is McLaren.
"For now, I don't think there are any tracks where I go to and think we will be the favourite, but I hope I'll be surprised," he stated.
While it could be suggested that Leclerc’s words carry a subtle element of pessimism, it must also be noted that the comments of the eight-time Grand Prix winner are not far-fetched.
McLaren have claimed podium finishes in all but one (Canadian Grand Prix, ed.), of the 14 races held so far this campaign.
Leclerc pleased with Vasseur at Ferrari
Charles Leclerc also expressed his delight with Ferrari’s decision to extend the contract of Frederic Vasseur as team principal.
The 27-year-old explained how the continuity of the French motorsport executive was pivotal to the Maranello-based team’s long-term success.
“I'm not the one making the decisions, but I think stability is always very important.
"Fred is the person we look up to and the person leading the team.
"To have him for many more years is definitely a good thing, also because in Formula 1 it takes time to build something, especially a successful team.
“I'm very happy about that. Knowing that I'll be able to have Fred alongside me for more years makes me optimistic for the future.”
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