Leclerc reveals where Ferrari's 2025 F1 car is lacking performance compared to its rivals

On the back of his stellar performance in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has revealed that his 2025 F1 car, the SF-25 has been lacking pace through the slow-speed corners.

On the back of their home race at Imola, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in both free practice sessions at his own home round. The second session saw the fastest times and in this one, Lewis Hamilton was third just over a tenth off his team-mate’s time.

The Monegasque then went on to top the third and final practice before securing second place on the grid for his home race at Monte Carlo.

Asked whether a driver can make a difference around the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, Leclerc said that previous seasons saw him fight for the pole position despite having lacked pace at other venues.

"Well, it can make a difference. I think there’s been years where we definitely did not expect to be on pole, and when you think that you have zero hopes, you just go for it – maybe a little bit more than people that are trying to manage expectations in Q3.

"And you manage to do something special, like I think we did in 2021 where we were nowhere all season, but we managed to put it on pole here.

"So, I still have hopes that we can reproduce what happened last year. Obviously, it's still very fresh in my mind to come back in this paddock. The last time I was there, we won, and it was a very special moment for me.

Despite arriving at Monaco with low expectations, Leclerc has revealed that Ferrari's 2025 F1 car has suffered from its performance through the slow-speed corners.

"Of course, you believe in yourself. I know that on street tracks, it’s been relatively positive for me in the past, so I know that there’s an opportunity there.

"The only thing that I will say changes from this year compared to other years is that we have a very specific weakness, in my opinion, which are slow-speed corners. And Monaco being only slow-speed corners, it will be a very big achievement – and a very big surprise as well – if we are a lot better than what we expect.

"But yeah, the motivation that I have coming here is always very special. It’s a very unique track, very different to what we are used to everywhere else. And we can be surprised positively. So the hopes are still high, but let’s say that on paper, it doesn’t look as positive.