Charles Leclerc Discusses Ferrari’s Struggles, but Takes on Critics
It was a bitter Friday at Spielberg for Ferrari and especially for Charles Leclerc. On a track that’s been kind to him (since joining Ferrari, he’s won there once and secured four other podium finishes), the Monegasque driver finished only eighth in the second free practice session—the only one in which he took to the track. And with the Austrian Grand Prix looming—a race that could prove crucial for the rest of the season—he reflected not only on the difficulties his SF-26 has faced so far but also on the criticism he has faced during what has been an extremely difficult month for him.
“Missing FP1 wasn’t ideal for me, but getting back on track isn’t a big deal. The fact is, we’ve struggled more than expected; we’re further behind than we thought we’d be. Everything went as expected on the straights, but we usually perform better in the corners. But we’ve gathered a lot of data, and we’ll work on it tonight to bring a better Ferrari to the track as early as tomorrow,” Leclerc told ‘Sky Sport’.
Speaking to a foreign media outlet, Belgium’s ‘RTBF’, he expressed his frustration over the negative feedback he’s received between Miami, Monte Carlo, and Montmelò. “I consider myself extremely lucky to be a Formula 1 driver, and specifically for Ferrari,” Leclerc emphasized. “But this also means being at the center of criticism—even significant criticism—and if things aren’t going so well, that’s normal. Besides, it’s always the same people doing the criticizing; that’s just part of the job. In any case, I’m working hard to get back to performing like I did at the start of the season.”
The FP2 standings starkly illustrate the Monegasque driver’s current situation. Kimi Antonelli dominated the session with a time of 1’07″014, ahead of the two McLarens driven by Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Teammate Lewis Hamilton outperformed Leclerc, finishing fifth, 0″597 behind the Mercedes leader, while the No. 16 car trailed by 0″841. This gap is cause for concern, and the engineers in Maranello are tasked with closing it quickly ahead of qualifying.
This difficult Friday comes amid an extremely dark period for Leclerc—the most challenging since he began driving for Ferrari. Following the crashes in Monte Carlo and Barcelona — where, during qualifying at Montmelò, he crashed into the wall at Turn 4 at over 180 km/h, then started tenth and retired from the race due to a technical issue — the Monegasque driver arrives at the Red Bull Ring with just 75 points in the standings, 81 points behind leader Antonelli. His winless streak has now lasted over twenty months: his last victory came at the United States Grand Prix on October 20, 2024.
Austria, however, is historically a track that has been kind to Leclerc, and that is no small detail. In 2022, the Monegasque driver secured one of his most significant victories with Ferrari right here at the Red Bull Ring, and his connection with this track has endured over time. This is a significant psychological factor for a driver who, as he himself admitted after Barcelona, is trying to regain the confidence he has lost in recent weeks: “After Monaco, my confidence was very low, and I wasn’t in sync with the car. That’s no longer the case, but I’m certainly not yet at the level I want to be.”
The situation within Ferrari adds further pressure. Hamilton, following his victory in Barcelona, has surged to 115 points and continues to pull away from his teammate, making the gap between the two Ferrari drivers increasingly evident at this stage of the season. For Leclerc, therefore, the Austrian Grand Prix is not just an opportunity to score big points again: above all, it’s a chance to prove—to himself and to fans who are increasingly divided in their opinions of him—that the potential glimpsed at the start of the season hasn’t vanished.
