Charles Leclerc looks forward to Singapore after Baku debacle for Ferrari

Charles Leclerc believes warmer weather in Singapore could play to Ferrari’s strengths. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, after the 2025 Azerbaijan GP, the Monegasque driver felt the Maranello team lost out to rivals who were stronger in cooler conditions.

In Baku, Mercedes had the upper hand with both drivers finishing second and fourth. Ferrari, meanwhile, struggled with execution as Lewis Hamilton ended up eighth and Leclerc ninth.

Despite having straight-line speed on their side, Hamilton was compromised by strategy and qualified only 12th, while Leclerc’s crash in Q2 left him starting 10th. Mercedes, by contrast, benefited from the colder weather, wind, and gusts, which suited their car better.

Looking ahead, Charles Leclerc expects the hotter climate in Singapore to shift the balance. He admitted Ferrari tends to struggle in cooler conditions where Mercedes have the edge, noting that Mercedes and Williams were the only teams quick on mediums in Baku qualifying. Confident that Marina Bay will be different, Leclerc stressed that Ferrari will stick to their approach but hopes the warmer conditions can deliver a stronger weekend.

Asked by Sportskeeda what his expectations were for the next race weekend in Singapore, Charles Leclerc said:

“Warmer conditions, this for sure. I mean, I think our car is struggling quite a bit, whenever it's cold and we have seen that the Mercedes is performing very, very strongly whenever it's cold. Yesterday, there was one of the only cars that were cool to actually make the medium work in Q3, together with Williams actually, which are both cars very strong in cold conditions. We are stronger in hot conditions, which I hope Singapore will give us that.”

Asked if they will revert to the older approach in Singapore, he replied:

“I think it was more of an approach for here in particular setup wise. I don't think that this will apply anywhere else, but yeah.”

Notably, Ferrari have been pushed to the third spot on the team standings by Mercedes (290 points) while McLaren continue to lead the charts with an overwhelming lead.

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Charles Leclerc complained about the Ferrari having a power unit issue at the beginning of the race

Charles Leclerc claimed that his Ferrari suffered a power unit issue during the opening ten laps of the race. Speaking to the media prior to debriefing the matter with the team, the Monegasque felt it was important for Ferrari to investigate the problem further. He explained that most of his race after the first safety car was compromised by being stuck in a DRS train, which left him with minimal opportunities to overtake around the Baku street circuit. Leclerc admitted that being caught behind slower cars ultimately nullified Ferrari’s straight-line advantage.

Asked if he expected to progress further up the grid after the first safety car, Charles Leclerc said:

“I hope so, unfortunately, I had quite big power in unit issue for like, 10 laps in the first ten and we don't really know what is the reason for that yet. Because it kind of came back from one up to the other and we don't know what happened. So I need more info about that. It's not like it's been there for the whole race. So then I was fine towards the end, but in the phase where I think we probably had the chance to actually overtake cars, I was just taking the DRS and very slow down the straights. So I couldn't do much in that first phase after that.”

Charles Leclerc is currently fifth in the drivers’ championship with 165 points for Ferrari. The Monegasque has secured five podium finishes for the Maranello outfit this season, the most recent coming at the Belgian GP before the summer break.

Ferrari have slipped from second to third in the constructors’ standings. Red Bull have also closed in and now sit fourth, just 14 points behind. The fight for second place in the constructors’ championship is proving to be a tightly contested battle, with fine margins separating the three teams.