Charles Leclerc’s faced ‘mystery’ Singapore Grand Prix issue that has plagued Ferrari this season

Follow us on Google Discover

Charles Leclerc was left despondent after the Singapore Grand Prix as Ferrari once again struggled to match the frontrunners.

As has been the case in 2025, the Maranello outfit displayed encouraging pace on Friday. However, Ferrari could not extract the maximum on Saturday as Leclerc qualified in seventh behind teammate Lewis Hamilton in P6.

Leclerc made a strong start to the Singapore Grand Prix, passing Kimi Antonelli. However, the Monegasque driver fell back as the race went on, with Ferrari instructing him to let Hamilton through so he could challenge Antonelli late in the race on the soft tyre.

However, this would backfire as the seven-time champion suffered brake issues in the final laps. Leclerc said Ferrari put Hamilton in a ‘very difficult situation’ as he had to crawl to the finish with no brakes.

Leclerc finished sixth on the road with Hamilton seventh, but the latter was demoted to eighth for breaching track limits to stay ahead of Fernando Alonso. It was another disappointing weekend as one critical issue continued to plague Ferrari.

Charles Leclerc suffered a ‘mystery’ weight issue with his SF-25 – it has plagued Ferrari all year

It is well-known that Ferrari have struggled with ride height in 2025. Fred Vasseur’s ‘aggressive approach’ has often backfired this season, as per Auto Motor und Sport, as giving his engineers the freedom to push boundaries has had consequences on the SF-25.

Leclerc and Hamilton were disqualified in Shanghai, with the former’s car being underweight and the latter suffering excessive plank wear. According to the report, ‘many experts’ believe Leclerc had the same problem in Budapest.

The 27-year-old took a shock pole position at the Hungarian GP – the only Ferrari pole of 2025 thus far – but dropped back dramatically in the final stint. Ferrari ‘never solved the mystery’ of his lack of pace, as he finished outside the podium.

The Maranello squad ‘once again overshot the target’ in Singapore, with Leclerc’s car being underweight during the race. Ferrari’s lack of answers for the problem is a huge worry as the team fall further behind their rivals.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Charles Leclerc is hurting at Ferrari as he considers his options for the future

Ferrari ‘ignored’ Leclerc and Hamilton’s wishes for aerodynamic upgrades, instead focusing on the rear suspension to fix their ride height issues. Now, the SF-25 does not respond to setup changes over the weekend.

This has put them on the back foot to McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull, with the Milton Keynes outfit now 10 points behind in the constructors’ championship. Leclerc says Ferrari are the fourth-best team on the grid at the moment as he expresses his frustration.

‘Serious’ meetings are planned at Ferrari as Leclerc is beginning to lose patience with the team. The Monegasque driver is starting to search the paddock for other alternatives, plotting a shock move on the F1 driver market.

Leclerc is already talking to Mercedes over a potential move in 2027, while Red Bull and Aston Martin are also believed to have been contacted. Ferrari are now under huge pressure to keep their star driver on board for the long term.