20/04/2025
NEWS STORY
Upgrades haven't helped Ferrari, as "disappointed" Charles Leclerc insists that nothing's changed.
In Bahrain came the much anticipated new floor, followed, this week, by further upgrades including a new rear wing.
However, finishing fourth quickest, 0.376s down on Max Verstappen's pole-winning time, Leclerc feels the gap to the front runners is as big as ever.
I'm not happy," admitted the Monegasque. "I'm really not happy.
"Finishing P4 in a qualifying session where the lap is really good - I put everything out there - but for now the performance of the car is just not there," he insisted. "I either have massive oversteer or massive understeer, but the end result is that I don't have enough grip to produce what the guys in front do.
"At the moment I feel good in the car," he admitted, "I think I've found the sweet spot of the car that matches my driving style. I feel like in the last three qualifyings I've managed to maximise the potential of the car, but the potential is just not yet available what I want it.
"It's the gap that we've expected since the beginning of the season," he continued. "However, I'm a bit disappointed here because we had a few upgrades that I think should have helped for here, and yet the gap seems to be pretty similar.
"Unfortunately I feel like the others have done as much of a step, so the gap hasn't really changed," he sighed.
Meanwhile, teammate Lewis Hamilton, who felt he had turned a corner with the Ferrari in Bahrain, admits that he is simply not bonding with the car.
"I'd been nowhere all weekend, thirteenth I think in almost every session," said the Briton, so, honestly, I feel grateful to have got to Q3 and P7.
"Not a spectacular last lap," he admitted, "but we have been making improvements all weekend.
"I needed a better lap at the end but, as I said, I'm just grateful to be there. There's still plenty of time to come."
Asked if he is hoping for more in the race, he replied: "Praying, more like! Trying to bond with this car on a single lap is something that I am finding very difficult at the moment.
"But we don't give up," he added. "Where there's a will there's a way, we keep pushing, keep trying, we have got some amazing support so just keep working hard."
Asked about his upbeat comments in Bahrain, he said: "I was feeling positive after the last race and hoping that I could apply some of those things, but it's not worked.
"Tomorrow, is about being patient, just waiting for opportunities, yellow flags and safety cars. I'm going to just try and race and see if I can go forwards. If I can go forwards, that'd be great. If not, then you'll be hopeful for something to happen to try and capitalise on.
"I'm a long way off. But you don't give up, just keep trying."
Team boss, Fred Vasseur claims it is Turn 1 where the SF-25 is losing out.
"You can always do a better job and do more, but it's true that since the beginning of the weekend in Turn 1 we lose a lot," he told Sky Italy. "I think we are three-tenths off the pole time and we lose three-tenths in Turn 1.
"It went the way it went," he continued, "we have to concentrate on the race. So far over the long distance we have had a good pace, even though we couldn't test yesterday because of the red flag. But since the start of the season we have been better over the long distance than on the single lap, so anything is possible."
Asked what the issue in Turn 1 relates to, he replied: "We will see tomorrow over the long distance when it stabilises. But it's true that all weekend we struggle in Turn 1.
"If you push a little too hard in the out lap you struggle to finish the lap, if you don't push hard enough you struggle in Turns 1 and 2. It's a very fine balance to find and we struggled a lot in Turn 1.
"I'm disappointed," he admitted, "because we're not three-tenths off pole position and I have the feeling we didn't manage to put it all together this weekend. So it's a bit frustrating, but the race is on Sunday and in Jeddah you can overtake.
"But it's true that from weekend to weekend the situation totally reverses. Verstappen in Japan won, then in Bahrain he suffered and now he is back in front. That means consistency is hard to find for us and for the others, maybe for McLaren a little less, but that's the picture."
Of course, the presence of J Lo (groan) is sure to have helped the team at this difficult time.
Priorities guys, priorities.