Monaco’s Charles Leclerc was left reflecting on a frustrating race weekend at Suzuka, where he crossed the finish line in fourth place, matching his starting position but missing out on a podium finish once again. Despite showing signs of improvement in Ferrari’s SF-25, the Monegasque driver admitted the car simply didn’t have the performance needed to challenge Red Bull’s Max Verstappen or the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“It felt like a bit of a solo race,” Leclerc remarked post-race, noting the significant pace gap between Ferrari and the leading trio. Pitting on Lap 22 and briefly falling to 10th, Leclerc managed to regain fourth by Lap 31, but the race settled quickly into a rhythm he couldn’t break.
Ferrari’s post-race assessment echoed their driver’s thoughts. The team acknowledged a lack of race pace and balance, stating that while progress had been made during the practice sessions, it wasn’t enough to compete at the front. The SF-25, still in need of improved tyre management and stability, continues to fall short of expectations in this early phase of the season.
“The gap is still there,” Leclerc admitted, “but the work we did earlier in the weekend did help us take a step forward. It’s not enough, but it’s something to build on. The goal now is to keep extracting the most from what we have while the team continues to develop the car.”
Ferrari left Japan with 18 points — their most successful race of the season to date — but clearly, both the team and its star driver have their sights set much higher as the Formula 1 championship heads next to Bahrain for Round 4.