Charles Leclerc expressed deep frustration after securing fourth place in qualifying for the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, lamenting Ferrari’s lack of pace that left him fighting for P4 instead of challenging for pole. The Monegasque driver, known for his qualifying prowess, admitted that despite extracting the maximum from his Ferrari SF-25, the car’s performance was simply not enough to compete with the front-runners at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Leclerc’s lap time in Q3 placed him 0.376 seconds behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen, who clinched a dramatic pole for Red Bull, and over a quarter of a second adrift of third-placed George Russell of Mercedes. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri rounded out the top three, while Leclerc’s teammate, Lewis Hamilton, struggled to seventh, highlighting Ferrari’s ongoing challenges in the 2025 season.
“I’m not happy, I’m really not happy,” Leclerc told reporters post-session, his frustration palpable. “Finishing P4 in a qualifying session where the lap is really good, I put everything out there – but for now, the performance of the car is just not there. I either have massive understeer or massive oversteer, but the end result is that I don’t have enough grip to reproduce what the guys in front do.”
Ferrari entered the 2025 season with high hopes of mounting a title challenge after finishing runner-up in the constructors’ championship the previous year. However, the team has yet to secure a podium in the opening four races, and Leclerc’s P4 in Jeddah continues a disappointing trend. A major floor upgrade introduced in Bahrain showed promise but has failed to close the gap to rivals McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes as expected.
“It’s the gap we’ve expected since the beginning of the season,” Leclerc admitted. “However, I’m a bit disappointed here because we had a few upgrades that should have helped, and the gap seems to be pretty similar. The others have done as much of a step, so the gap hasn’t really changed.”
Leclerc’s comments echo sentiments expressed earlier in the season, particularly after a P4 finish in Japan, where he noted Ferrari’s need for “many baby steps” to reach their desired performance level. In Jeddah, he acknowledged his satisfaction with his driving but emphasized the car’s limitations. “I feel good in the car. I think I found the sweet spot that matched my driving style. But the potential is just not yet at the level where I want it to be,” he said.
The qualifying session itself was marked by drama, with championship leader Lando Norris crashing heavily in Q3, relegating him to P10 and handing Verstappen the advantage. Leclerc, starting on the second row alongside Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, remains cautiously optimistic about his race prospects. “I don’t think the car is more stable in race trim, but with a good start, if we place ourselves in front of the others, maybe we can hold on for a podium,” he noted.
Ferrari’s struggles were further underscored by Hamilton’s P7, with the seven-time world champion admitting he still has “work to do” to get comfortable with the SF-25. The team currently sits fourth in the constructors’ standings, and Leclerc trails Norris by 45 points in the drivers’ championship.
Team principal Fred Vasseur urged calm amidst the disappointment, acknowledging the tight competition. “We are missing a bit of pace compared to the cars in front, but if we put everything together, it should be a close race,” he said, referencing Ferrari’s efforts to refine their package.