Charles Leclerc Identifies 'Pure Performance' as Ferrari's Key F1 Slump Factor

Charles Leclerc attributes Ferrari's struggles in the 2025 Formula 1 season directly to a lack of "pure performance," despite the team's commendable job of maximizing its car. With only two races left, Ferrari remains winless in a season where high hopes for a title challenge had been set, highlighting a significant gap to the frontrunners.

Why it matters:

Ferrari's inability to convert strong pre-season expectations into on-track victories underscores a critical performance deficit. This ongoing struggle impacts not only their championship standing—currently behind Mercedes and Red Bull—but also the morale and long-term trajectory of one of F1's most iconic teams. Addressing this fundamental lack of pace is paramount for any future title aspirations.

The details:

• Performance Deficit: Leclerc explicitly stated that while Ferrari has been effective in maximizing the car's capabilities, the overall performance simply "is just not good enough."
• Consistency vs. Pace: Unlike Mercedes, which experienced significant performance fluctuations (big ups and downs), Ferrari has shown more consistency but has been "consistently off the pace" of the leading teams.
• Championship Standings: With two rounds remaining, Ferrari is 53 points behind Mercedes in the fight for second in the Constructors' Championship and 13 points behind Red Bull.
• Podium Contributions: Leclerc has secured all seven of Ferrari's podium finishes, including two second-place results in Monaco and Mexico. Teammate Lewis Hamilton has yet to add to this tally in Grand Prix races, though he did win the Chinese GP Sprint and finish third in the Miami Sprint event.
• Competitor Progress: Leclerc specifically noted that the "step that McLaren managed to do throughout the winter, and how Red Bull developed through the season," created a performance gap that Ferrari was unable to close.

The big picture:

Ferrari entered the 2025 season with considerable optimism, fueled by a strong finish in 2024 where they were just 14 points shy of McLaren. However, the season has revealed a persistent underlying issue: a fundamental lack of raw pace compared to rivals. This isn't a problem of execution or strategy, which Leclerc praised, but rather the core performance capability of the SF-25 itself. This situation has prevented them from converting consistent, well-executed weekends into race wins, leaving them in a challenging position in the Constructors' standings and far from a championship fight.

What's next:

Ferrari's immediate focus will be on extracting every last bit of performance from the remaining races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to salvage their championship position. More importantly, the team faces a crucial winter period to address the "pure performance" deficit highlighted by Leclerc. This will involve significant development work on the 2026 car to ensure it possesses the inherent speed required to challenge for wins and championships, rather than just maximizing a suboptimal package. The pressure will be on to close the gap to McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes.