Having endured a troublesome weekend in Miami, Ferrari Charles Leclerc has cleared the air together with his team-mate Lewis Hamilton after swapping place with the seven-time F1 champion twice in the course of the 57-lap race.
Ferrari appeared to have lacked velocity over the Miami Grand Prix weekend, having struggled for one-lap tempo in qualifying. Though their race tempo seemed higher, it was nonetheless not sufficient to compete for high positions.
Having solely certified twelfth in the primary qualifying, Lewis Hamilton began on the laborious tyre. Though the Briton appeared to have affordable race tempo, he spent the opening phases of the race behind the Haas of Esteban Ocon, dropping the connection to the entrance of the sector.
The seven-time F1 champion managed to overhaul the Frenchman after an intense combat, and he might then capitalize on the digital security automobile interruption which allowed him to realize round eight second in comparison with a regular pit go to.
His team-mate Charles Leclerc began on the mediums, and was caught behind the Williams of Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon in the course of the opening stint. He additionally needed to utilize the digital security automobile to finish an inexpensive pit cease, however the lights went inexperienced when he entered the pit lane of the Miami Worldwide Autodrome.
After the pit stops, Leclerc overtook his former team-mate Sainz, however he discovered Hamilton proper behind himself. The Briton requested to be let previous, given he was on the sooner mediums on the level, and Ferrari allowed it after hesitating for 3 laps. As Hamilton couldn’t motor on, Leclerc was allowed to retake the place with the Scuderia ending the primary of three US races in a distant P7 and P9.
Reflecting on the weekend, the Monegasque has revealed that he by no means felt himself snug in his SF25 which got here as a shock after the final three rounds wherein he made progress with the automobile.
“It has been a troublesome weekend for us. During the last three races, we have now made some good progress, however I simply didn’t have that very same feeling within the automobile this weekend and we have to perceive why.
“At present, our tempo wasn’t there on the primary stint, then on the second stint I used to be managing in the beginning, after which I needed to run in soiled air. I pushed once more in the direction of the tip, however it simply wasn’t sufficient. I’ll proceed to at all times give the whole lot I’ve obtained and we have now to come back collectively as a group and work on making extra progress.”
“We have to do higher, that is for positive. At present was not preferrred and was removed from maximising our potential, however we have to regroup as a group and be higher.”
Drivers’ Parade however make it @LEGO_Group 👌 pic.twitter.com/WeTteH0Jec
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 4, 2025
Commenting on swapping positions with Hamilton two instances, Leclerc indicated that Ferrari must plan these scenario higher so as to not lose race time.
“I simply suppose we perhaps ought to have mentioned somewhat bit extra earlier than doing the swap as a result of clearly you are attempting to go to the tip with these tyres, so I am making an attempt to do a great job with my tyres after which the whole lot is difficult, and I didn’t anticipate Carlos [Sainz] to be so shut.
“All of this made the scenario a bit trickier, however once more I feel there’s loads for us to have a look at. As I mentioned, we have to do a step, and we must be sturdy sufficient that every time we discover ourselves in these conditions we do higher.
“I feel we will likely be fairly aligned on the truth that at this time wasn’t the Sunday we needed and regardless that the tempo isn’t there, I do not suppose there was any miracles. If the whole lot had gone completely perhaps we’d have completed in entrance of Kimi, however that is it.”
Leclerc himself gave a few feisty radio messages about hurting his tyres as soon as within the soiled air of Hamilton, however he did concede that the pair scrapping for the minor factors positions additionally performed an element.
Pushed on to disclose why he sounded pissed off on the radio, the Monegasque has conceded that it was not due to the intra-team battle, however it was the results of his frustration because of the lack of tempo.
“There may be the frustration already that I used to be combating for P8 on the time and I used to be not making any positive aspects,” he added.
“I used to be actually scuffling with the automobile, so there’s the frustration of that after which all the remaining, all of it provides up. The radio isn’t at all times the actual image.
“I used to be clearly specializing in my race, on my tyres, I used to be making an attempt to actually preserve them as a result of I had already the primary lap combating with Carlos with the brand new tyres and that is not likely what I needed, so then I needed to care for my tyres and that was it,” mentioned Leclerc.
