Ferrari icon Jean Alesi's 2-word description of Charles Leclerc after the driver's tumultuous F1 Imola GP

Former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi had two words to describe Charles Leclerc, the Monegasque star, after his tumultuous Emilia Romagna GP outing. Sharing a picture of Leclerc on his social media story, the Ferrari icon termed him as "Ferrari's pride."

Leclerc had a bittersweet outing on Sunday as the #16 driver improved significantly during the race, but to some extent, it wasn't enough. He started his race from P11 after an underwhelming qualifying on Saturday, and came home in P6.

As the race concluded, the 27-year-old driver shared a series of pictures from his official Instagram account and summed up his day. Alesi, who raced for Ferrari for five years from 1991 to 1995, shared Leclerc's photo on his Instagram story and wrote,

"Orgolio Ferrari"

Alesi's Orgolio Ferrari translates to Ferrari's Pride in Italian. Here's the screenshot of Jean Alesi's story from Instagram:

The man from Monaco looked supreme with his SF-25 and was in contention for a top-four finish. However, a miscalculated strategy by his team left him with old tires while his teammate, Hamilton, opted for fresher rubber. As a result, he barely found pace and was sitting duck against Hamilton's attack.

To make matters worse, Leclerc had to give up the position to Alex Albon after the FIA deemed his overtake on the Williams driver unfair, as he allegedly pushed Albon off the track. In the end, Leclerc came home in P6 and seemed unhappy with the result.

Charles Leclerc let his feelings known after a topsy-turvy Emilia Romagna GP

Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 leaves the Pitlane during the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on May 18, 2025 - Source: Getty

Charles Leclerc shared his thoughts after having a bittersweet day at the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP. Speaking about this in the post-race interview, the Monegasque driver reflected on the missed pit stop opportunity, which cost him dearly by the end of the race.

“I know I put my heart into it, I know I gave it my all, but that’s how it is. We had two Safety Cars that came out at the worst times,” Leclerc told Sky Sports F1.

“We couldn’t even use the second [SC] because there was only the soft. In the end, I wanted to go and put the soft, but Lewis changed his mind, he went to the pits. So I didn’t know how many positions I would have lost by pitting just behind him, because I would have lost time," he further added.

After seven races and two Sprints, Charles Leclerc is in P5 of the Drivers' Championship with 61 points. Compared to him, his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, is in P6 with 53 points.

About the author

Sabyasachi Biswas is a passionate motorsport journalist for Sportskeeda, with a Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. He has over eight years of experience in the field and has over 10000 published articles on the internet.

As a dedicated follower of motorsport, Sabyasachi watches events closely, ensuring his reports are thorough and supported by reputable sources. He is inspired by Max Verstappen’s fearless attitude and dreams of attending the Indian GP if it returns to the calendar. An ardent F1 fan over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel and is now following Verstappen's dominant journey on the track.

Apart from F1, he is a big-time NASCAR and football (also soccer) fan. Sabyasachi supports Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and Spanish club, Real Madrid.

He was a sub-junior level footballer and won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak by nature, Sabyasachi likes to try different cuisines and learn about new cultures. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys soccer, geopolitics, and playing with Khushi & Ubbu - his adorable beagles.

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Edited by Mitali