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Ferrari star Charles Leclerc recently came out and spoke on the factors that will determine who comes out on top in the constructors' championship between the Scuderia and Mercedes. The two teams have been switching places for the second best since the start of the season, with Mercedes currently sitting P2.
Mercedes and Ferrari have been battling for the second-best team on the F1 grid for a couple of years now, as the two finished just three points apart in the 2023 constructors' championship, with Mercedes taking the win in that battle.
Ferrari beat Mercedes in 2024, finishing P2 in the championship, over 180 points ahead of the Brackley squad, which managed to finish fourth in the championship. However, coming into the 2025 season, the two teams have been neck to neck, with the results often dependent on the characteristics of the circuit.
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Ferrari led coming into the Canadian GP, but a double podium finish for Mercedes, with George Russell winning and Kimi Antonelli finishing P3, resulted in the Brackley-based squad taking second place in the constructors' championship. Mercedes is currently second on 199 points while Ferrari is third on 183 points.
Charles Leclerc recently came out and advised on the tight battle between the two teams. Reflecting on the performances from the competitors, he said (via RacingNews365):
“It's strange, because we've got very opposite issues. I feel like they are strong in qualifying, they are struggling in a race. We are weak in qualifying and we are strong in the race. So at the moment, it's whoever is the first to find what's going on in the session [in which] we are not going well will win that battle.”
Detailing how Ferrari can beat Mercedes in the fight, Charles Leclerc added:
“We are doing some small steps in the right direction. I think eventually, what will dictate who will win is the updates, the upgrades that we are going to bring. I don't have any answers for now on how I think we'll go with those.”
“Lewis is a step ahead in that direction”: Charles Leclerc reveals where Hamilton excels in his comparison
Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time F1 champion and, coming into Ferrari to partner with Charles Leclerc, the Monegasque expected a tough challenge, but was also excited to learn from the Briton. However, Leclerc was left surprised by Hamilton's ability to brake late into the corner. He said:
“I was still surprised by the way he brakes, for example. How late he brakes is very, very, very impressive. In my career, I've always been the one braking later than my team-mates and that is a particular driving style I haven't seen in any of my team-mates, but Lewis is a step ahead in that direction.”
Leclerc currently sits P5 in the driver's championship with 104 points, 25 points ahead of Hamilton, who is P6 in the championship.
