Charles Leclerc demands “answers” from Ferrari after sketchy call in British GP

The 2025 British GP was one to forget for Ferrari star Charles Leclerc, who finished P14 out of the 15 drivers who crossed the checkered flag. A questionable strategic call and the lack of pace in Leclerc's SF25 were the key contributors behind the lackluster performance. The Ferrari driver came out after the race and demanded answers from his team.

The drizzle before the race start meant all drivers started the formation lap on intermediate tires. However, with the sun coming out, sectors 1 & 2 seemed dry enough to make a switch to slicks. But sector 3 was still damp with clear spray coming from the cars. Yet, Leclerc decided to gamble and came into the pits for slick tires.

However, that was not the right call as the track was still 7-8 laps away from being dry enough for slicks. As a result, Leclerc lost multiple seconds to the race leaders.

When asked about the strategic call for the slick tires after the formation lap, Charles Leclerc said (via RacingNews 365):

“No, I'm not happy with the decision. That was my decision. The first and second sector was kind of for slicks. Third Sector was wet, but this, I expected it. I had seen it. But I expected the track to dry a lot quicker. It did not. We were [among] quite a few to have done that mistake, of thinking that it will dry quickly.”

F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Source: Getty

After heavy rain on Lap 18, the safety car was brought out, which neutralized the race and bunched up the grid. As the safety car lights went out, Lewis Hamilton struggled in the first couple of laps, but then was able to utilize the pace of the SF25, and overtook Pierre Gasly, George Russell, Lance Stroll, and went after Nico Hulkenberg to chase the final podium spot.

However, Charles Leclerc wasn't able to replicate the same, as he continued racing towards the back of the grid, had a big moment as he cut the corner, and was only able to finish P14. The Monegasque driver wasn't concerned about the strategic calls, but about the lack of pace in his Ferrari. He said:

“This (the first lap pit for slicks) is part of the reason why we had a bad race, but I'll say that the biggest part is the lack of pace today, and on that, I want the answers before going back home.”

Charles Leclerc's frustrating race weekend at the Silverstone circuit

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were contenders for the pole position coming into the qualifying at the British GP. The two drivers finished 1-2 in the second qualifying session, and were on course for a strong Q3 with two new sets of soft tires.

However, both Leclerc and Hamilton made mistakes on their final run in Q3 and only managed to start the race in P5 and P6, respectively.

Charles Leclerc was frustrated with himself after the final lap as he punched his steering wheel, took to the team radio and said:

“F**k. F**k. F**k. F**k. F*ck that. So f**king s**t I am. I am so f**king s**t. That's all I am.”

The race was again nothing to write home about, as the SF25 in the hands of Charles Leclerc was one of the slowest cars out on track.