Charles Leclerc Shares Confidence For 2025 F1 Season Despite Team Changes

Charles Leclerc is optimistic about Ferrari's chances in the 2025 F1 season.

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc (16) is introduced before the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is confident in his team's ability to fight for the championship in 2025.

His optimism stems from a strong third-place finish in the current F1 standings and a solid end to the 2024 season. The Monegasque driver is determined to build on this momentum, with hopes of capitalizing on his victories in races like the Monaco, Italian, and US Grands Prix. As the new season approaches, Leclerc is ready to bring this energy into 2025, hoping to challenge the reigning world champion Max Verstappen.

The 2024 season began with Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing dominating the field. However, as the season progressed, McLaren emerged as the fastest team following the Miami Grand Prix, creating a competitive environment that Ferrari leveraged effectively. Despite facing mid-season challenges, particularly between June and July, where they lost substantial points, the Maranello-based squad managed to recover after the Italian GP upgrade.

Speaking about his faith in the Ferrari team, Leclerc explained, as quoted by GP Blog:

"Yes, I really hope so. If we look at our first part of the year, we were nowhere near being in the fight for the Constructors’. Then, the second part of the season was really good, and the team did an incredible job. I think Carlos and I have done a really good job as well together. So, yeah, we ended strong, and I'm sure that next year, we’ll hopefully start as strong as what we have ended this year."

The upcoming 2025 season promises new challenges. With the addition of seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari from Mercedes, the competition within the team itself is expected to become more intense. Leclerc views the incoming partnership with Hamilton not only as an opportunity to learn from a seasoned champion but also as a motivation to prove himself.

Speaking about his new teammate earlier in the year, Leclerc commented:

“It’s going to be incredible to have Lewis on the team.

“And, obviously, to be able to have such an incredible champion in the same team as me, with the same car.

“First, it’s going to be a great opportunity to learn from one of the best ever.

“And second, I think it is going to be an amazing opportunity, also, for me to be able to show what I’m capable of, so I’m really looking forward to it.

“By being on karting tracks every weekend growing up, it was difficult for me to actually follow a Formula 1 season, so I used to watch some races and he was definitely one of the guys that I looked up to.

“In the first year [in F1], I remember being super-impressed and intimidated by all these amazing drivers, and Lewis is probably the best out there, so being able to race with him was crazy.”