On first glance, Ferrari were on the back foot among the top four teams in Saudi Arabia last weekend. The SF-25 seemed tricky to handle around the Jeddah Corniche circuit, with a lack of one-lap performance putting their hopes in jeopardy again. However, Charles Leclerc pulled off a stunning result in the Grand Prix to claim Ferrari’s first podium of the season.
It was quite a proud moment for the Monegasque as he put together an exceptional race with good tire management and maximized his result to even beat McLaren’s Lando Norris for third place. This podium finish also ensured that Leclerc equaled Fernando Alonso’s podium tally (44) for Ferrari, climbing to a joint fifth in the list of most podiums for the team.
However, the #16 driver wasn’t getting carried away with this result as he stated how the Maranello outfit still needs to bridge the gap to the front-runners. He stated how they are lacking overall performance on the SF-25 and are “losing out on all weekends on the Saturday [in qualifying].”
So, to counter that, Ferrari have planned an upgrade to increase and optimize the SF-25’s downforce and airflow, respectively, with a new front wing upgrade. Leclerc revealed details about this new front wing—which is usually worth $150k for any team—in his post-race comments in Jeddah while reflecting on where Ferrari stands.
“We’re extracting the maximum out of the car. We just need a better car. And I think a turning point for the season would be in Barcelona with a new front wing. Hope it can play a little bit in our favor,” he said, as heard on BBC’s F1: Chequered Flag podcast.
Charles Leclerc now has the same amount of Ferrari podiums as Fernando Alonso pic.twitter.com/kqJe7leiB1
— Autosport (@autosport) April 20, 2025
With three more rounds in Miami, Imola, and Monaco still to happen before the F1 circus heads to Barcelona for the Spanish GP, Leclerc and Ferrari will need to keep maximizing their performance and ensure they do not lose too much ground in the championship.
After all, the Italian outfit knows how they can get back in the fight of victories in the second half of the season to mount a title charge as they did in 2024. Emulating the same in 2025 would be easier if their upgrades work during the European leg of the season itself and they can get some momentum before the business end of the campaign begins.
And what helps Ferrari is the vulnerability of Red Bull and Mercedes. The Bulls have been struggling with their car’s balance issues and don’t seem to have any light at the end of their tunnel. Meanwhile, Mercedes are once again showing potential to challenge the top team but haven’t really shown any incisiveness, even though they are consistent this season, which was an issue for them throughout the ground effect era.
So, Ferrari have the chance to straightaway pounce on McLaren, who aren’t miles clear of the trailing three teams. But they need to ensure their upgrades work and provide correlation on track, so that Leclerc can lead their charge for a title challenge again, this time, hopefully on the drivers’ championship front as well.
