Charles Leclerc has often gone well around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP was no different. Despite Ferrari being on the back foot in terms of outright performance, Leclerc put his SF-25 in the fight at the front and extracted the maximum out of it to secure a podium finish, which startled many.
Given it was the first top-three finish of the 2025 season for Ferrari, there was elation in the Italian outfit’s camp. Many hailed the Monegasque for outdriving the car that just hasn’t been competitive enough as its predecessor was last season.
However, there were also reports that Leclerc has tried several extreme setups to maximize the performance of the SF-25’s current iteration. While the #16 driver denied that he had gone down a different route in terms of setup to his teammate Lewis Hamilton, there seems to be some sort of difference in what both drivers want from the car.
Nevertheless, as things stand, this could be the upper limit of what Ferrari can achieve with the SF-25. F1 journalist Roberto Chinchero feels that the Maranello outfit are facing a developmental dilemma as to which direction they should take, and amid that, the peculiar working window of the car is enabling only Leclerc to eke out a podium result.
“But today does not allow him to go beyond third place. That is the maximum he can achieve,” Chinchero told Autosport. “And this is the negative part of the story.” He highlighted how Leclerc is demanding more front wing load on the car, while Hamilton’s expectations are somewhat opposite.
“That means the feeling Lewis is having with this car, especially in braking and corner access is not one he needs to have. It’s not one he needs to be faster,” Chinchero added about the seven-time champion.
Martin Brundle on Lewis Hamilton:https://t.co/wGkzHPEJax pic.twitter.com/DIrFzGBWPN
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In such a scenario, Ferrari would be in a fix as to how they can make an ideal car for both drivers. Naturally, any team would want to bring upgrades for performance rather than improve drivability. But due to Hamilton’s struggles with the SF-25, the Italian team’s engineers will have to incorporate his feedback and improve the feel of the car for the Briton.
As for Leclerc, he would want Hamilton to start to get one with the car, so that the team can continue chasing performance. After all, he has been the one to score the majority of Ferrari’s points so far, apart from Hamilton’s sprint race win in Shanghai.
However, the 27-year-old is aware that this is where the Maranello outfit currently stands, out of contention for Grand Prix wins at the sharp end of the grid. While Ferrari is still among the top four teams this season, they haven’t shown the incisiveness from last season when they often threatened to usurp the fastest team — be it Red Bull or McLaren — and rack up victories.
As things stand, Ferrari will need to make a considerable step up in performance to reach that level again.
