Charles Leclerc Calls Japan Race "Annoying" as Ferrari Struggle

Charles Leclerc found himself in no man's land during the Japanese Grand Prix, unable to catch the top three drivers while not facing much pressure from the Mercedes behind him.

Ferrari appeared to be the third or fourth fastest car on track, although Leclerc managed to exceed the car's expectations and secured a strong P4 finish.

The team needed a strong weekend after both cars were disqualified in the previous race, and Leclerc achieved the best possible result. It could even be argued that his outcome was better than what was truly attainable given the SF-25's limitations.

For Leclerc, considering his ambitions, the result was not particularly impressive, and he looks forward to a better race weekend in the future.

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"It was a bit of an annoying race, I was completely on my own, the guys in front were too quick," Leclerc said after the race.

"In the first stint I thought maybe there was something to do but then they started to push more and they were just faster."

Charles 🗣️ "The work we did on Friday in terms of set-up adjustment and the learnings we take into the next races have paid off. We made good progress, but we have to keep our heads down and keep working before we come to any conclusions."

Leaving Suzuka with 18 points 🇯🇵
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 6, 2025

"It's disappointing because when you put everything together like we've done this weekend I think the balance was in the right place,"

"There's just not enough performance in the car, so for now we've just got to maximize the points, which is what we have done, and I hope that later on in the season we can fight for better."

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The current iteration of the SF-25 appears to have demonstrated its full potential, which, compared to the rest of the grid, is simply not sufficient to meet the targets set by Ferrari and its drivers.

"I think this is the pace, honestly, what we've shown this weekend, there's not much more in the car so yeah, I think that's where we are," Leclerc said.

Leclerc finished 13 seconds ahead of George Russell's Mercedes, which, at first glance, is a commendable achievement; however, the driver does not share the same sentiment.

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"Yeah, but again, it doesn't really make me happy; that's really not the target, but at least as I said, we've maximised the result," he added.

Leclerc's teammate, Lewis Hamilton, has already stated that Ferrari will not bring any upgrades for the upcoming race in Bahrain.

If Leclerc felt annoyed after the race, hearing he must drive the same car next week probably won't ease his feelings.

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