Charles Leclerc’s Adaptation Journey in the 2025 F1 Season

The closest Charles Leclerc has come to winning a grand prix this season is 8.104 seconds, a third-place finish in Saudi Arabia that remains an anomaly in the opening five rounds of 2025. His fourth-place finish in Bahrain and a disqualified fifth in China highlight the challenges he’s faced so far.

The SF-25’s Race Pace and Lewis Hamilton’s Adaptation Struggles

The close-but-no-cigar race pace of the SF-25, coupled with Lewis Hamilton’s difficulties adapting to the car’s behavior, have made Hamilton’s victory in the China sprint all the more puzzling. While Leclerc has had an advantage due to his familiarity with ‘baked-in’ car characteristics, even he has had to adapt and compromise.

As the ground-effect rule set matures, performance gains have become increasingly difficult to find, resulting in narrower gaps between the leading cars. Several drivers, including Leclerc, have reported their machinery developing bothersome vices at the limit.

Leclerc’s Game-Changing Setup Approach

The turning point came at the Suzuka race, round three of 2025. It was there that Leclerc first adopted a more extreme setup approach based on a feeling he had harbored for a long time. This setup, which he describes as “pointier,” has made the car more responsive but also slightly twitchy at the rear end.

Given his aversion to understeer, this setup direction suits Leclerc well, provided he can keep the rear end under control. This could explain why Hamilton hasn’t seen the same benefits despite evaluating a similar setup: the seven-time champion prefers a predictable and firmly planted rear axle.

For the past two grands prix, this has left Hamilton half a second slower in qualifying than Leclerc – a difference that equates to several grid positions in the current environment. While a narrative suggests Hamilton will struggle all season, it remains possible that Ferrari‘s phased upgrade package, set to be introduced at the next round in Imola, may mitigate some of the rear-end instability.

The Impact of Lewis Hamilton on Ferrari

Leclerc not only backs his teammate to make the jump but suggests the fresh perspective Hamilton brings from another working environment is helping the Scuderia. He acknowledges that it’s challenging for a newcomer like Hamilton to adapt to the team’s systems, ways of working, and car, but he believes Hamilton will get there.

Leclerc also credits Hamilton for providing a fresh view on how they approach different things, learning a lot from him in the process. He looks forward to continuing this collaboration as they challenge the status quo and strive for improvement.

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