Charles Leclerc has spoken with striking honesty about a 2025 Formula One campaign that left him empty-handed once again, admitting the season was “tough and painful” as Ferrari failed to deliver a car capable of fighting at the front.
Now 28, the Monegasque driver has completed his seventh year with the Scuderia and his fourth without a Grand Prix victory, alongside 2020, 2021 and 2023. With no wins to show for 2025, Leclerc acknowledged the growing frustration of seeing key years pass without a realistic title shot.
“The year wasn’t easy,” he told L’Équipe in Abu Dhabi. “Last year we were fighting for the Constructors’ Championship and hoped to repeat that experience. Unfortunately, from the first race, it became clear that McLaren would be very strong.”
For a driver accustomed to aiming higher, the reality of midfield battles proved difficult to digest. “Being satisfied when fighting for fourth, fifth or sixth place is tough and painful,” he admitted.
Despite the disappointment, Leclerc was careful to reaffirm his loyalty to Ferrari. “Ferrari remains the team I have always loved and love even more today,” he said, explaining that podium finishes at least helped him maintain belief. “They pushed me to stay focused and motivated.”
Those podiums, however, could not erase what he described as the season’s most bitter moments. While a missed win in Hungary — where he started from pole — still lingers, it was Monaco that cut deepest. “The potential victory in Hungary hurt less than missing pole position in Monaco,” Leclerc revealed, after losing out at his home race by just 0.109 seconds to Lando Norris.
Yet even in frustration, Leclerc pointed to progress behind the scenes. “When I look at how we have worked over the past few years, it’s clear we have grown enormously as a team and will carry many lessons into the next championship,” he said.
Looking ahead, Leclerc has already identified 2026 — when Formula One undergoes a major technical overhaul — as a decisive turning point. If Ferrari fail once again to produce a championship-calibre car, the prospect of a future away from Maranello could become unavoidable.
For now, Leclerc remains caught between devotion and urgency: fiercely loyal to Ferrari, but increasingly aware that, at his level, waiting is a luxury he may no longer have.
