Charles Leclerc, Ferrari’s Formula 1 driver, has acknowledged that his team is still grappling with understanding the significant performance improvement McLaren has achieved in the 2025 season. As McLaren approaches clinching their 10th F1 constructors’ championship at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, Ferrari finds itself unable to close the growing gap.
McLaren is dominating this season with six races remaining and only needs to score 13 more points to secure the title. Expectations for a tight championship battle were high at the start of 2025, especially since the regulations remained mostly unchanged over the winter, and McLaren had narrowly beaten Ferrari by 14 points in the previous year. However, McLaren’s surge for the constructors’ crown has been decisive, while teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris remain in a close contest for the drivers’ championship.
Leclerc Recognizes Ferrari’s Difficulties Against McLaren’s Advantage
Before the Singapore Grand Prix, Leclerc admitted Ferrari’s struggle to pinpoint what gives McLaren their edge. He said the team is disappointed, especially because Ferrari always aims to lead the pack rather than settle for second place or lower in the constructors’ standings.
I think we’re all disappointed as a team and especially when with Ferrari you’re always targeting to be back on top and not to fight for second, third or fourth in the constructors’,
Leclerc said.
That’s not what we want and we’re not happy. I am not happy. We’ve got to do better. That’s very clear for every member of the team. Honestly, if I knew exactly the area where we’re lacking it would be easy work.
Leclerc outlined that while Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari have all made comparable progress from last year to this year, McLaren managed to discover something exceptional that others have yet to replicate. He suggested that Red Bull partially found some solutions, evident in recent races, but Ferrari and Mercedes have not matched that innovation.
It’s not as easy as that but what I can say Mercedes, Red Bull and ourselves did the same step from last year to this year but there’s one team that found something special and that’s McLaren.
Now it’s up to us what they’ve done so special in order to close that gap. Red Bull probably found part of the solution and we could see that in the last few races. Mercedes and ourselves didn’t yet.
We’re working towards that. We know what areas we are lacking – how do we achieve that is another story. There’s a lot of work to understand that and to find the solutions. McLaren did a step that nobody else did.
Leclerc Does Not Anticipate Surprising Improvements at Singapore
Ferrari approaches the Singapore race weekend following an unconvincing performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. Leclerc ended the race placed ninth after crashing during Q3 qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton finishing one position ahead in eighth.
Leclerc expects Ferrari’s performance in Singapore to mirror that of Baku but foresees McLaren maintaining or even extending their advantage on this track, given the circuit’s characteristics.
I don’t think we can expect any miracles,
Leclerc remarked.
In Baku it’s not that we weren’t competitive, we didn’t do a good job in qualifying and me the first to not put everything together and to not put a lap in Q3 obviously, but I don’t think we expect to be more competitive here. I think it should be similar to Baku.
I think McLaren will have even more of an advantage on a track like this, so we might be a bit further away compared to McLaren. But I think compared to our main competitors, which are Mercedes, we should be in a bit of a better place if it stays warm – which I think it will.
Implications for Ferrari and the Season Ahead
Ferrari’s current challenges emphasize a widening performance gap with McLaren, despite pre-season predictions that foresaw a close fight. The difficulty in identifying precise shortcomings suggests ongoing internal efforts to understand McLaren’s breakthrough. Leclerc’s comments underline the team’s urgency to innovate and adapt to stay relevant in the 2025 championship.
The Singapore Grand Prix represents a critical moment for Ferrari to evaluate its competitiveness on a demanding street circuit, where McLaren’s edge is expected to grow. As the season progresses, Ferrari must accelerate development to halt McLaren’s momentum and keep pressure on Red Bull and Mercedes, who remain key rivals.
