Charles Leclerc’s ‘different’ Ferrari attitude shows how much danger their 2025 F1 car faces

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Ferrari have produced some of the most disappointing performances of any Formula 1 team so far during the 2025 season.

The highly anticipated partnership of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton has failed to yield much of note except for a sprint win in China. More was expected of them three events into the campaign.

Ferrari sit fourth in the constructors’ championship, way behind their rivals at the front. McLaren have over three times more points than them already.

A solution must be found soon if they want to avoid writing off their season to focus on the 2026 F1 regulations earlier than anticipated.

Leclerc is ‘frustrated’ with Ferrari and doesn’t believe that they have maximised their car’s performance to start the year. He believes that they have left time on the table.

Both Hamilton and Leclerc are unhappy with Ferrari’s 2025 F1 car, which has already suffered a double disqualification and is yet to make the podium in a Grand Prix.

READ MORE: What Jacques Villeneuve spotted on Lewis Hamilton’s onboard camera that was ‘not a good sign’ for Ferrari

Charles Leclerc’s ‘different’ Ferrari attitude shows troubles with 2025 F1 car

Ferrari were incredibly confident in their car concept after pre-season testing, but just three races later ahead of a return to Bahrain, emotions have changed.

There’s a clear gap between themselves and McLaren, with Mercedes also appearing to have a faster car during uninterrupted running.

A tweet on X (formerly known as Twitter) by Autoracer.it’s Piergiuseppe Donadoni shows that Leclerc’s frustrations with the SF25 have already affected his mindset.

“I go to Bahrain with a very different vision from the tests,” he said after the Japanese Grand Prix.

It’s a worrying sign for a team player who is usually insistent on keeping spirits within the team as high as possible.

Leclerc produced an iconic moment for Ferrari with a funny team radio exchange. It has just about been their highlight of the season. If they fail to improve, it may stall any momentum they have for 2026.

READ MORE: Martin Brundle shares how Charles Leclerc is privately feeling about Lewis Hamilton signing for Ferrari, ‘apparently he’s…’

How much better than Lewis Hamilton has Charles Leclerc been at Ferrari so far?

The Japanese Grand Prix was the first time that Leclerc flexed his muscles over one lap next to Hamilton. He was 0.311 seconds faster on Saturday.

He leads the qualifying head-to-head 2-1 and has been marginally quicker in race trim. He just doesn’t quite have the car underneath him to compete for trophies yet.

As Formula 1 arrives in Europe next month, the arrival of upgrades may help correlate their car with simulations and help them unlock extra pace.

Usually strong in Bahrain, they will be able to gather a much deeper understanding of what is wrong with their car at the next race.

They have plenty of data from seasons gone by and pre-season testing to make comparisons. It may offer an explanation for their lack of pace.