Charles Leclerc drops 1-word response when questioned if Ferrari's performance meant a more positive outlook for Monaco

Charles Leclerc dropped his honest verdict on Ferrari's progress. When asked if the Emilia Romagna GP result, where he finished P6, was a positive sign ahead of the Monaco GP, the Monegasque bluntly said, 'No'.

Ferrari fans left the track disappointed on Saturday at Imola as Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished P11 and P12, respectively. However, on Sunday (May 18), the duo had good recovery as they managed to find pace on medium tires.

Leclerc, meanwhile, nailed his strategy to pit early and undercut Mercedes' George Russell. However, a virtual safety car ruined his chance to undercut more rivals, and late contact with Alex Albon forced the Monegasque driver to drop to P6.

He also got overtaken by his teammate Hamilton, and the miscommunication on the radio left him fuming.

Meanwhile, next up on the 2025 F1 season calendar is Leclerc's home race, the Monaco Grand Prix. When asked if the Imola GP results gave him confidence for a better ride at Monaco, he replied (via @Vetteleclerc on X):

"No."

Charles Leclerc was clearly unhappy with how his race ended. He appeared to contest for the podium, but the virtual safety car chaos left him stranded at P6.

On the flip side, Lewis Hamilton had an outstanding race. He started from P12 but finished P4, his highest finish in Grand Prix races this year.

“Wooo! What a great race, guys! Fantastic pit stops, strategy, and the car felt great today! So grateful, so proud! Grazie a tutti! Forza Tifosi, that was for them!" he said on the team radio via @fiagirly on X).

Overall, after a disappointing qualifying round, Ferrari went home relieved on Sunday. Both drivers scored points irrespective of the last-minute chaos. These valuable points will indeed help the Italian team advance in the constructors' championship race.

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Charles Leclerc engages in a fiery radio exchange with his race engineer

Charles Leclerc at F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna - Source: Getty

The second virtual safety car, induced by Kimi Antonelli's mechanical failure in Imola, pitted Charles Leclerc against Alex Albon for P5. They came wheel-to-wheel, leading to contact, but the Ferrari driver took the lead.

However, after FIA stewards ordered an investigation into the incident for potential unfair advantage, Leclerc's race engineer ordered him to give the P5 position back to Albon.

Though Leclerc followed the orders, he fumed after his race engineer failed to address his query about the possibility of a penalty.

"So now explain to me why the penalty or whatever. We'll know at the end," Leclerc asked.

"Now we don't know. We are under investigation," his race engineer replied.

"What do you mean? You told me to let it pass?" Leclerc added.

"I've just told you what I've been told," the race engineer responded.

Not only this, after the virtual safety car foiled his plans of undercut, Charles Leclerc called himself unlucky on team radio, which only added to his misery.