Ferrari F1 star sends dire championship warning with four races to go

Fred Vasseur, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Monza, Italy, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Ferrari star sends dire championship warning with four races to go

Lewis Hamilton has still not secured a grand prix podium with Ferrari

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Friday 31 October 2025 01:04

Charles Leclerc has warned that Ferrari are going to struggle to keep their current place in the F1 constructors' championship.

The Monegasque driver helped lift the historic Italian team to second in the standings after the Mexico Grand Prix, a single point ahead of Mercedes and a further nine beyond a resurgent Red Bull.

Leclerc's last two race results in Austin and Mexico have boosted Ferrari up to second as Mercedes' form has begun to tail off, but Hamilton's role in that has been just chipping away scoring points consistently.

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Speaking to F1 media after the Mexican Grand Prix, Leclerc warned that Ferrari are going to struggle to keep hold of second in the standings, saying that the SF-25's limitations means that 'perfect execution' is needed by the drivers to score a top result.

"It's going to be very, very tough," Leclerc said. "If I look back at the last two weekends, yes. If I look before these two weekends, not really.

"That pays off, obviously, as always, but it's very difficult to be performing at this level all the time."

Hamilton's 2025 season

Hamilton has scored 37 points in the last five race weekends, vital points in the constructors' championship battle, and that led to team principal Fred Vasseur claiming the seven-time champion is 'back'.

But there's no doubt that he has had a disappointing first season at Ferrari.

Brought in to try and fire Ferrari to championship success for the first time since 2008, Hamilton is currently sat a distant sixth in the drivers' championship, and is now 64 points behind Leclerc.

If Ferrari are going to cling on to that second spot, Hamilton is likely going to have to start putting in the kind of performances that Leclerc has been over the past few race weekends.

In positive news for Hamilton though, he did achieve his best grand prix qualifying position of the season at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, up in third position, with only a 10-second time penalty ruining his chances of securing a first grand prix podium with the team.

Formula 1