Miami Grand Prix Preview: Insights from Charles Leclerc
As the 2025 Formula 1 season approaches its sixth round in Miami, Charles Leclerc’s performance has been a topic of scrutiny. Despite a third-place finish in Saudi Arabia, Leclerc remains 8.104 seconds adrift of the race winner this season. His results have included a disappointing fourth place in Bahrain and a disqualification in China, pointing to a rocky start for Ferrari’s SF-25.
Leclerc’s struggles mirror those of teammate Lewis Hamilton, who has faced difficulties adapting to the car’s behavior, despite securing victory in the China sprint. "It’s always difficult to compare drivers’ feelings," said Leclerc, emphasizing the challenges of tuning into the car’s characteristics, particularly the engine braking issues that have plagued Hamilton.
The ground-effect regulations continue to impact the competitive landscape, resulting in narrower performance gaps among teams. Drivers have reported new handling issues, complicating their setups. Leclerc noted, "This year we’ve gone in quite extreme directions in terms of set-up to extract more performance."
Since shifting his setup approach during the Suzuka race, Leclerc has embraced a “pointier” configuration that enhances front-end grip at the risk of increased rear-end instability. "It takes a few races to readapt everything around the car," he explained, underscoring the ongoing developmental process.
Hamilton’s contrasting preference for a stable rear axle has limited his qualifying performances, placing him half a second behind Leclerc in recent events. "There’s still a lot to learn," Leclerc said regarding Hamilton’s adaptation to Ferrari, asserting confidence in his teammate’s ability to optimize performance.
With Ferrari’s incremental upgrades set to debut at Imola, Leclerc remains hopeful for improvements, asserting that Hamilton’s experience could bring valuable insights to the team. "It’s great to have him in the team and to challenge our long-standing approaches," Leclerc stated, highlighting the mutually beneficial dynamic as both drivers strive to unlock the full potential of the SF-25.
As teams prepare for the Miami Grand Prix, the focus will be on how Ferrari addresses their current performance disparities and whether Leclerc can capitalize on his recent setup changes.
