Leclerc demands Ferrari upgrades to close gap after frustrating Azerbaijan GP

Ferrari Under Pressure: Leclerc Demands Upgrades After Frustrating Baku Campaign

Charles Leclerc has issued a clear directive to the Scuderia: Ferrari must accelerate their development programme to close the gap to their primary rivals. Following a difficult Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Monegasque driver expressed significant concerns regarding the team's current trajectory relative to Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren.

Struggles in Baku

Despite a strong qualifying performance that saw him secure a front-row start—even while trailing George Russell by eight tenths—the race proved to be a tactical struggle for Ferrari. The team opted for a soft-tyre strategy to secure an early advantage, but the plan failed to yield the desired results.

Throughout the opening stint, Leclerc found himself unable to match the relentless pace of the leaders. He ultimately finished in P4 after losing position to Oscar Piastri and both Red Bull drivers.

“They were very strong,” Leclerc reflected following the race. “McLaren were also strong – not maybe as strong as Red Bull, but Red Bull were particularly strong. We know they have a very strong power unit so this is a good race for them, but still.“

The driver highlighted a recurring theme for the team, noting that they are consistently losing ground to the top tier of the grid.

“We were quite far off Mercedes, far off Red Bull, a bit behind McLaren – these are our competitors and it’s not new. It’s [been] quite a few races now that we’re losing a little bit of track to them, so it's important that we react to that and that we bring upgrades in order to close the gap again,” Leclerc asserted.

The Development Race

A key factor in the recent performance disparity was Ferrari's decision to arrive in Baku without new technical updates, whereas both McLaren and Red Bull introduced performance-enhancing changes. This lack of immediate progress has left Charles Leclerc questioning the team's ability to maintain their standing in the Constructors’ Championship.

“We've got things in the pipeline, but I don't know what the others have in the pipeline,” he added. “We are going to improve the car – whether it's going to be enough to outrace them in the development programme… I don't know what they have in store.”

Hamilton's Tire Troubles

Ferrari's teammate, Lewis Hamilton, faced his own set of challenges, failing to make progress from his P6 starting position. While Hamilton managed a notable overtake on Lando Norris, he was later overtaken by Kimi Antonelli.

Hamilton attributed his struggle to extreme inconsistency in tire temperature. “I was just surprised all weekend – I couldn't get the tyres working at all,” Hamilton explained. “Even through the whole race the tyres were just switching on, switching off, switching on, switching off, and so one minute the grip picks up for a second and then it drops away.”

With the gap to the leaders growing, the pressure on Ferrari's technical department to deliver meaningful upgrades has never been higher.