After a long drought, Ferrari managed to find their way back onto the podium, thanks to the efforts of Charles Leclerc. During Sunday’s Grand Prix, he put together an incredible performance and maximized the potential of the mediocre SF-25. Not for the first time this year, he reminded people why he is often regarded as one of the best drivers on the grid.
Leclerc qualified 4th on Saturday, behind Verstappen, Piastri, and Russell. When he spoke to the media after the session, he said that he extracted everything he could out of the car. He also added that there was simply no way to make it go any quicker. Many fans doubted that he would be able to keep the position until the end of the race, let alone finish on the podium.
On Sunday, Leclerc lined up on the second row and waited for the lights to go off. When they did, he pushed forward, trying to catch up to Russell in front of him. He didn’t have much time to try and overtake the Mercedes due to an accident that brought out the safety car in lap one. A few cars behind Leclerc, Tsunoda and Gasly made contact. Gasly’s Alpine ended up in the wall and needed to be removed by the marshals. For a while, the race cooled down, returning to full speed on lap three.
As Verstappen was hit with a penalty for overtaking Piastri off the road on lap 1, Leclerc focused his efforts on staying close to Russell. He didn’t find a way past him until the Brit, just like the two drivers in front of him, pitted for a fresh set of tires. This made Leclerc the temporary race leader. He performed true wonders on his medium tires. Despite the cars behind him having much fresher rubber, he wasn’t losing much time at all. He managed to extend the stint until lap 30.
Having bolted on a set of hards, Leclerc exited the pits and placed himself in his old spot, right behind Russell. This time, he had the advantage of fresher tires. By lap 37 Leclerc found himself within Russell’s DRS. A lap later his Ferrari flew past the Mercedes. With that, he was on his way to stand on the podium for the first time this season.
Norris began the race in 10th place, due to a crash in the qualifying. He spent most of it trying to minimize the points lost. He managed to climb quite a few spots and found himself behind Russell. Just like Leclerc had a few laps before him, he was quick to move past the Mercedes. The only thing separating him from standing on the podium was the Ferrari.
With every lap, the gap between the two of them decreased. This was especially noticeable when Leclerc had to clear the traffic generated by the lapped cars. Try hard as he might, Norris was not able to catch up. Leclerc was the third driver to cross the finish line. He was beaten only by Verstappen and Piastri. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, finished seventh in the Grand Prix.
Leclerc squeezed everything he could out of the car. He, once again, proved that he can manage his tires like no one else. The 30-lap long stint on mediums was close to perfect, a statement that even the biggest Ferrari haters couldn’t disagree with. While the team may not have the best car or strategies that always work, they do have a secret weapon. His name is Charles Leclerc.
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