Charles Leclerc Holds Back Ferrari Criticism After Hamilton’s Sprint Win

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has refrained from pointing out faults on his Ferrari SF-25 F1 car following his P5 finish in the Chinese GP sprint, after his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, secured his first Ferrari victory in the same car by a margin of nearly seven seconds over runner-up Oscar Piastri.

Leclerc qualified fourth for the sprint race at the Shanghai International Circuit but dropped one position during the race. A last-minute duel with Mercedes’ George Russell saw him nearly retake the fourth spot, but the worn-out tires on his Ferrari meant he failed to execute a clean overtake.

It is important to note that Leclerc opted for a different setup on his SF-25 compared to Hamilton, pointing out that he has always struggled on this circuit. Speaking to the media after the race, he said:

“I wouldn’t really blame the car because Lewis is doing a great job with it. For me, really until now, I haven’t been comfortable with the car as it is. I took a slightly different direction compared to Lewis in terms of setup, but I don’t think it’s all in there.

“I just really struggle on this track historically and there’s no exception this weekend, but it’s not, it’s not an excuse. I need to react and qualifying would be a good start to turn things around.”

Hamilton showcased the SF-25’s dominant pace, especially after breaking the lap record at the Shanghai International Circuit during the sprint qualifying on Friday. However, he did point out how fast the tires were wearing out considering the repaved track surface that enhanced grip levels. Newsweek Sports reported the seven-time world champion’s first reaction after his sprint win. He said:

“From Lap 1 here this weekend, I’ve been feeling on it. The engineers have done a great job, the mechanics have done a great job to really fine-tune the car, it felt great today, I got a good start, there’s so much grip on this new tarmac it’s hard to look after these new tires, and I think everyone was struggling out there the same.”

Hamilton stressed that there was no pressure from his team or fans for the season ahead, pointing out that taking one step at a time is the mantra going forward. He said:

“I don’t feel the pressure. I know the Tifosi, the team wants to win and I know it means everything to them, but as I said the other day that Rome wasn’t built in one day, one step at a time, we are not going to get ahead of ourselves, we cannot.

“We’ve got to continue to push, we’ve got to be diligent, and remain focused, and be calm. Most importantly, stay calm because these moments get us all excited. We’ll be back at our desks after this, focused on qualifying this afternoon. It’s a long long way, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, so we’ve just got to take our time.”

While Hamilton is expected to be a top contender for Sunday’s Grand Prix, both McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri also remain in the mix. Max Verstappen also cannot be ruled out entirely.