Leclerc's severe 'passenger' claim in blunt Ferrari verdict

The Monegasque driver, who endured another challenging race at the Marina Street Bay Circuit, laid bare his thoughts on the issues with the SF-25 car. Leclerc also detailed how the team has continued to struggle with extracting performance from the car, leaving them at a standstill against their forward marching rivals.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have the race car to fight with the guys in front. McLaren has always had the same gap on us compared to the beginning of the year. Red Bull made a step from Monza and are now at the same level as McLaren,” Leclerc began.

“Mercedes are now at the same level as McLaren and Red Bull, and then there’s us. It’s not easy, because you want to fight for better positions, but at the moment it just feels like we’re passengers in the car and we cannot extract much more,” he concluded.

Leclerc and the Ferrari team have largely endured a torrid 2025 campaign in contrast to the successes achieved in 2024. The Italian outfit has failed to claim a race victory this year, and recent races – particularly since the resumption of the season after the summer break – have ended in underwhelming showings for the team.

During the Singapore Grand Prix, the 27-year-old finished the race in sixth place, with teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing eighth after receiving a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits.

The Marina Bay race also saw both drivers forced into early lifting and coasting due to overheating brakes.

Leclerc also touched on the brake issues he experienced during the Singapore Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver highlighted how extremely difficult it was to stay competitive while managing the problems.

“From lap 8, it was all about managing those brakes. I think everybody had to manage to a certain extent on a track like this, but we’re on the worst side of things, and that makes it extremely difficult. Our whole race was very tricky,” Leclerc said.

While Leclerc was just able to nurse his brakes to the end of the race, Hamilton saw his front-left brakes go up in flames. The seven-time champion largely drove the final laps of the Singapore race without responsive brake pedals, which triggered a tirade on the radio from Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso.

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