Bad news for Ferrari as Charles Leclerc shares demoralising verdict after the F1 Japanese GP

Charles Leclerc's latest admission about Ferrari could be a cause of concern for the team and its fans. The Ferrari driver finished the race in P4, the same place he started his race from, and stated that the car was far from ideal at the Japanese GP.

Fresh from their Chinese GP debacle, where both Ferrari drivers were disqualified following a breach in the technical regulations, Leclerc went off to a formidable start in the Japanese GP. However, his qualifying performance on Saturday brought him the second grid in P4.

In the main race, Leclerc could not make amends as he had to settle for P4. Even though he was one place behind Oscar Piastri in P3, his gap to the top three was massive — an astonishing 16.097 seconds. This shows that the SF-25 was slow in terms of race pace, and failed to match the top three.

"There was nothing more in the car," Leclerc said in the post-race interview. "We did a good job with balance and strategy but it is even more disappointing when you do everything perfect and finish P4. The pace is just not there."

"I went in a specific direction with my driving style and I feel this will help me maximise the car more often than not. If that works out for me, I am confident but if that means we are P4 that is not great. We should have a few things coming soon," Charles Leclerc further added.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull claimed the victory ahead of Lando Norris. With this, he won his fourth straight race at the Suzuka Circuit, and 64th of his F1 career.

George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, and Lewis Hamilton came home in P5, P6, and P7, respectively. Isack Hadjar, Alex Albon, and Oliver Bearman wrapped up the top 10.

---

Charles Leclerc's teammate, Lewis Hamilton shared his feelings after average Japanese GP

Charles Leclerc's teammate, Lewis Hamilton, let his feelings known following an underwhelming outing at the Suzuka Circuit. The seven-time world champion finished the race in P7, only a place ahead of his starting position.

Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 in the Pitlane during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan - Source: Getty

"I did the best I could today. I was genuinely lacking performance compared to the cars ahead of me. I am not extracting the best out of the tyres," Hamilton said in the post-race interview.

Ferrari is currently in P4 of the Constructors' Championship with 35 points. They trail McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull in the championship.