Charles Leclerc admits he was ‘worried’ by Ferrari call at the United States Grand Prix

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Charles Leclerc secured a podium for Ferrari at the United States Grand Prix as he finished third after a bold strategy call.

The Monegasque driver grabbed his and Ferrari’s first podium since Spa as he came across the line to finish P3. Max Verstappen dominated the United States Grand Prix to take victory, with Lando Norris finishing second.

Ferrari looked like they were struggling to extract the maximum from the SF-25 once again, as Leclerc could only manage 10th in Sprint qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton lining up P8. But the duo fought well to finish fourth and fifth.

Hamilton overtook Leclerc in the closing stages of the Sprint to finish ahead of his teammate, with the latter being magnanimous after the battle. He would get the better of the seven-time champion in Saturday’s qualifying as he went P3, with Hamilton P5.

Leclerc got the jump on Norris at the start of the race and held his own for 21 laps on the soft tyre before the McLaren driver eventually passed him. He regained P2 at the pit stops, but lost out again to Norris in the closing stages and had to settle for third.

Charles Leclerc admits he was a ‘little bit worried’ by Ferrari’s decision to start on the softs at the US GP

Speaking after the race via Sky Sports F1, Leclerc admitted that he was a ‘little bit worried’ about starting on the softs. However, he was able to manage his tyres brilliantly and kept them up to temperature, albeit losing out to Norris.

“I was a little bit worried when I saw I was the only car on the softs. I knew it was a risky move,” he said.

“What I had in mind was to use the softs and get free air. It was quite optimistic because we had two cars in front but we gained one position and that helped us a lot after the race.

“I’m very happy overall because it’s been a tough second part of the year and to be back on the podium, after what was a difficult FP1 with a gearbox problem, we recovered well, so I’m happy.”

Speaking about his battle with Norris throughout the race, he added: “I enjoyed it. Unfortunately I lost out in the end, but I had fun in the car.”

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Ferrari will be encouraged by Charles Leclerc’s performance amid future doubts

Ferrari can take a lot of positives from the United States GP. Leclerc and Hamilton showed strong pace on the soft tyre and scored valuable points in their bid to finish second in the constructors’ championship.

The Maranello outfit must ensure that COTA is not a one-off for the rest of the season, especially when there have been doubts surrounding Leclerc’s future with the team beyond 2026.

The 28-year-old could find himself at the centre of the F1 driver market next season if Ferrari fail to provide him with a strong package. Leclerc could replace Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, while the likes of McLaren and Red Bull have also been linked.

Leclerc says Ferrari’s 2026 car is ‘very positive’ after testing it in the simulator. The team could convince him to stay put, just as long as they can convince him that he can fight for the title in the car.