Ferrari frustrated by lack of grip as Leclerc qualifies fourth and Hamilton struggles in eighth at Suzuka – Ferrari may have secured a decent grid position for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, but the mood in the garage is one of realism rather than celebration. Charles Leclerc produced a strong performance to put his SF-25 on the second row of the grid in fourth place, but he and the team are under no illusions about their position in the current Formula One pecking order. The gap to Red Bull and McLaren remains wide and the Scuderia knows it.
Leclerc finished 0.316s off Max Verstappen’s pole time in qualifying, and while that was enough to put him comfortably ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, it wasn’t enough to hide the SF-25’s fundamental limitations – most notably its persistent lack of grip in high-speed corners.
Driver execution masks car limitations
Leclerc said as much after the session. “Our position at the moment is probably just that,” he admitted bluntly. “I think we’re even a little bit behind Mercedes at the moment in terms of pure pace.”
He acknowledged that his fourth-place grid slot came down more to his own execution than the raw pace of the car. “I think the lap was really, really good. I put everything into the lap, there wasn’t much left,” said Leclerc.
“It’s more about the performance I got out of the car today than the car itself being quick.”
Confidence gained through set-up changes
However, the Monegasque found reasons to be optimistic as the weekend progressed. After a few early struggles with the car’s handling, Leclerc reported a marked improvement as the team honed the setup to better suit his driving style. This change gave him the confidence he needed to get the most out of the SF-25.
“I’m in a completely different place now than I was at the beginning of the season,” explained Leclerc.
“I feel much more comfortable in the car – maybe tomorrow will surprise us in a positive way”.
The lack of grip in fast corners
But even this progress can’t hide the Ferrari’s aerodynamic shortcomings in fast corners. Suzuka’s flowing curves have long been a benchmark for overall car balance and downforce, and on Saturday Ferrari came up short.
“We’re just not fast enough and we don’t have enough grip to keep up with McLaren and Red Bull in the corners,” admitted Leclerc. “The car still lacks grip – especially in the high speed sections. That’s where we lose the most time.
Despite these limitations, there was some encouragement in the fact that Ferrari’s set-up work helped Leclerc feel more in control than in previous rounds.
“We’ve definitely found something that suits my style better – and that gave me a lot more confidence in qualifying,” he said. “There’s still work to be done, but the fundamentals are improving.”
Strategic recalibration after Melbourne
Strategically, Ferrari also believe they’re making progress. After some questionable calls in Melbourne that cost it valuable points, the team has adopted a more analytical approach heading into Japan.
“Of course we’ve been working on that,” said Leclerc of the team’s strategic development. “There’s always an analysis when we make a wrong decision. We went through the same process – this time with the added experience of Lewis.
The comment was made in reference to Lewis Hamilton, who was outqualified not only by both Ferraris, but also by his own team-mate George Russell. Hamilton could only manage eighth place, a full 0.627 seconds off pole. He blamed a persistent set-up problem that left him struggling with understeer throughout the session.
“I had a lot of understeer and couldn’t get rid of it throughout qualifying,” said Hamilton.
“Obviously, from my point of view, it wasn’t good enough.”
Hamilton praises Leclerc
Nevertheless, Hamilton was full of praise for Leclerc’s performance. “I thought Charles did a great lap today – really well done,” said the seven-time world champion. “Maybe he even got a bit more out of the car than it was capable of.”
One of the more notable aspects of Saturday’s qualifying session was the fact that Leclerc and Hamilton took different set-up routes – something that hasn’t happened this season. Looking back, Hamilton conceded that Leclerc’s set-up may have been better suited to a single lap performance.
“Charles’ set-up would probably have been better for that one lap in qualifying today,” Hamilton reflected. “For the race, mine might be the better choice – but who knows, I’ll find out tomorrow.”
Rain a wild card for Hamilton
If there’s any consolation for Hamilton, it could come in the form of Sunday’s weather. Rain is a possibility during the race and few drivers are more comfortable in the wet than the Briton.
“I love rain in general,” said Hamilton. “Normally when you’ve had a qualifying like I did, you’re hoping for rain. So I hope it actually happens.”
Even if the weather turns chaotic, Ferrari would prefer to be competitive on the basis of pure performance rather than needing external factors to intervene. While the team has shown signs of progress – especially with Leclerc adapting better to the car and the engineers dialing in a more confidence-inspiring setup – it’s still not enough to challenge Red Bull or the surging McLaren outfit on merit.
Leclerc summed it up with a familiar refrain for Ferrari fans: “We have to keep working – there’s still a big gap to McLaren and Red Bull, and our goal is to win races again.
Weather forecast changes for the Japanese GP
Incremental progress, but still on the back foot
The team is well aware that solid qualifying results alone won’t close the gap. Race pace, strategy execution and continued technical development will be crucial if Ferrari is to return to the top step of the podium. Until then, days like Saturday will be seen as progress wrapped in frustration – evidence of potential, but not yet fulfilment.
With the threat of rain looming and grid positions secured, Ferrari will be hoping for more than just damage limitation at Suzuka. Whether Leclerc’s optimism is justified or not, one thing is clear: Ferrari know they’re still on the outside looking in when it comes to the battle at the very top.
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Red Bull have been the centre of media attention in Japan, on the whole for its surprise switch of drivers Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda for the seat alongside Max Verstappen. The Kiwi was ditched after just two race weekends of the 2025 Formula One season having been judged at two circuits where he has never driver before.
On the whole Tsunoda has delivered well at his home race in Suzuka, finishing close to his world champion team mate in practice and the the first round of qualifying where he was just a tenth of a second slower than Verstappen.
The team may have been partially responsible for Tsunoda’s exit having decided to give him used soft tyres for his first run in Q2. This was to save a second set of new tyres for Q3, but of course this became a moot point given Yuki failed to make the top ten shootout…. READ MORE ON THIS STORY
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