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Charles Leclerc believes he is making clear progress at Ferrari but concedes he still cannot drive his car naturally. The Monegasque, who won the British Grand Prix and finished second in Belgium in recent weeks, says compromises in his driving style continue to cost him time in certain phases of races. With team-mate Lewis Hamilton sitting 33 points ahead in the championship, Leclerc's margin for error remains thin as he chases a first world title that has eluded him since joining the Scuderia in 2019.
Speaking to international media, Leclerc acknowledged both personal development and team momentum but stopped short of declaring himself at the level he aims to reach. "I am convinced I have taken a step forward. Whether I am already at the level where I want to perform, I don't know yet," he said. The nine-time race winner's recent form suggests Ferrari has found a stronger window with its package, but inconsistency across different track characteristics remains a challenge for both driver and team.
Driving around the car's limitations
Leclerc outlined specific technical compromises that prevent him from extracting maximum pace lap after lap. "There are still things in the car I have to drive around. I can't drive completely naturally, and that slows me down in some parts of the race," he explained. The admission reflects a broader reality for Ferrari this season: the SF-25 has shown flashes of genuine speed but lacks the predictability and consistency that allows drivers to push instinctively without managing inherent balance issues.
For a driver of Leclerc's calibre, the inability to lean fully on natural instinct represents a measurable performance ceiling. While he has adapted well enough to deliver podiums and victories, the mental bandwidth required to manage the car's quirks can erode the fine margins that separate front-row starts from second-row compromises, or race wins from second places. "There are still things I need to work on to get better. But it was certainly a step forward, and I'm happy with that," Leclerc added, framing his recent run as progress rather than a solved problem.
One-race mentality under Hamilton's shadow
Leclerc's refusal to shift his approach despite recent success reflects both discipline and pragmatism. "I stick to the approach of one race at a time, because with these cars it is very difficult to trust that if one race weekend goes well, the next one will too. After all, it depends on such small details," he said. The philosophy matters more this year given Hamilton's immediate presence as a benchmark and rival. The seven-time champion's adaptation to Ferrari has been smoother than many anticipated, and his 33-point advantage over Leclerc adds internal pressure to a driver who arrived at Maranello as the anointed long-term leader.
Leclerc also pointed to the inconsistency inherent in the current generation of ground-effect cars, which can swing dramatically in performance depending on track surface, temperature, and ride height sensitivity. "With the way you drive, it is never a given that you achieve the same performance from lap to lap, and that is perhaps the frustrating thing about these cars," he said. For Ferrari, the challenge is twofold: continue extracting more from a car that remains a work in progress, and manage two drivers capable of winning races but divided by both points and internal expectations. Leclerc's next test comes at a circuit where Ferrari has historically struggled, making his one-race-at-a-time mantra not just philosophy but necessity.
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