Ferrari showed some signs of progress at the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP after a sluggish start to the season. Charles Leclerc secured his first podium of the year, offering a glimmer of hope for better results ahead. However, fans remained largely unsatisfied.
Leclerc’s road to P3 was anything but straightforward. A tricky qualifying session left him starting from P4, but in the race, he made a solid recovery to claim the final step of the podium. His first stint on the medium tires saw him deliver 29 impeccable laps, and his second stint on the hard tires — with a fast-charging Lando Norris closing in — ultimately sealed the deal.
Naturally, Leclerc was elated. The Monegasque took to his Instagram account to share some moments from the weekend in Jeddah.
View this post on Instagram
But when the post went viral on other social media platforms like Reddit, some fans saw something wrong with Leclerc celebrating a third-place finish so euphorically.
[Charles Leclerc via IG] Going home with the first trophy of the season. Hopefully many more to come.
byu/rayzruffy informula1
The complaints among a section of the Tifosi were straightforward — Leclerc’s talent shouldn’t be yielding just P3 finishes. He should be fighting for wins.
One fan pointed out that Oscar Piastri, who debuted in 2022 — four years after Leclerc — is now just three races away from matching his career win tally, which currently stands at eight.
“I hate when Charles is happy with P3. He deserves so much better. Oscar is only 3 wins short of Charles’ career tally, and that is f*cking criminal. Ferrari have done this man so dirty,” the user wrote.
Fans flocked to further to criticize the Maranello-based team. The general sentiment within the F1 community is that Ferrari has failed to deliver the right car, thereby wasting the 27-year-old’s potential.
What makes it even harder to bear is that Leclerc himself doesn’t want things to change. The #16 driver has repeatedly stated that his loyalty lies with Ferrari, and he won’t leave until he achieves his dream of winning the title with them.
One fan wrote, “That stat makes me sick. I absolutely hate it. That team is wasting his potential. Give him a good car for f*cks sake.”
Others joined in, pointing fingers at the iconic Italian team. “This is criminal. Charles can stand toe to toe with Max, yet he has 8 wins to Max’s over 60. Ferrari has destroyed him,” lamented another.
Sadly for Leclerc and his passionate fans, the situation seems unlikely to change anytime soon. Ferrari appears to be significantly off the pace compared to McLaren, which is currently the strongest car on the grid, and even behind teams like Red Bull and Mercedes.
