F1 star Charles Leclerc warns Ferrari they are on their LAST chance

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc warns Ferrari they are on their LAST chance

Is Leclerc running out of patience at Ferrari?

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 11 December 2025 07:28

F1 star Charles Leclerc has warned Ferrari that it is 'now or never' for the Scuderia to make their comeback as a top team in the sport after a devastating end to 2025.

The Italian F1 squad struggled to find the answer to their SF-25 woes all year, with seasoned Ferrari driver Leclerc and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton both left baffled by their machinery at times.

But despite a poor run in 2025, Ferrari were on target to retain P2 in the constructors' championship, but that all fell apart in the season's closing stages and now, the Maranello-based squad have to deal with finishing P4 this season.

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The storied F1 team have not picked up a championship victory of any kind since 2008, and after a nightmare season for Ferrari, Leclerc and his new team-mate Hamilton, the question on everybody's lips is whether the new regulations will favour Ferrari or not.

Next year's regulations change will introduce more sustainable cars and hopefully, many more exciting on-track battles.

But Leclerc is mostly focused on how long it will take Ferrari to work out where they are in the competitive order as it looks to be reset by the sport's new era.

Next season will mark the 28-year-old's eighth campaign in red and with not a single title to his name, time is running out for Leclerc to join the illustrious list of F1 champions.

There have even been whispers that his management have been in touch with Aston Martin this season, so Ferrari should be feeling the pressure even more to provide their drivers with a competitive car for next season and beyond.

Can Ferrari make F1 comeback in 2026?

Each team will face the challenge of adapting to the new regulations next year, and Leclerc is not naive to the fact that Ferrari are unlikely to suddenly produce a rocketship for the season-opening Australian GP, but nevertheless, they need to hit the ground running.

And this is a fact that Leclerc is acutely aware of, telling The Race in a recent interview that he feels wherever teams end up next season will probably decide their fate for the next few seasons in F1.

“It's tough but at the same time, honestly, I think the whole team is hugely motivated for next year, because it's such a big change, a huge opportunity to show what Ferrari is capable of,” said Leclerc before issuing the warning: “It's now or never."

“I really hope that we will start this new era on the right foot, because, yeah, it's important for the four years after.”

Leclerc believes the competitive order of F1's new era won't necessarily be obvious at pre-season testing or even at the first few rounds of the 2026 season.

Instead, the Monegasque driver has shared that he thinks the final verdict on how good a team truly is will not be made clear until after the first third of next year's championship.

When asked whether he thought there would be a lengthy journey ahead for any team who are not successful next season, he said: “Yeah, I think it would be. Maybe not in the first three-four races, but by race six-seven, I think we'll have a good idea of who are the teams that will be dominating for the four years after."

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Ferrari Charles Leclerc