“Let’s wait and see” Leclerc hints at where Ferrari stands in its two-man battle with Mercedes

Written by Mia Wallace, Edited by Marit Everett

Credit: Formula One

Mercedes leads, but Ferrari’s Leclerc eyes possible upgrades and twisting track gains. Can the silver arrows be challenged in Japan?

The Japanese Grand Prix is here, and with it the buzzing anticipation of what surprises are in store for the last race until May. Mercedes looms at the top, with the pairing of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli both fresh off of one race win each. Although they have showed dominance across the last two weekends, one team has proven to be a growing threat to the silver arrows. Ferrari, with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, have revealed their hand, demonstrating both daunting pace and performance that appear to be just within striking distance of a commanding Mercedes team. 

Following two consecutive podium finishes in the last two races, Leclerc suggests that Ferrari is prepared to take on the formidable challenge of competing with Mercedes. 

"We are still very early in the season so I do think it is possible [to beat Mercedes], but is it a huge challenge, yes," Leclerc said, noting that "the optimisation of the power unit is probably the biggest difference between us and Mercedes."

Leclerc is referencing the power unit that has, up until this point, thrown a massive curveball at the rest of the teams. It has been strikingly clear across the past two races and subsequent sessions that Mercedes has a large advantage in terms of speed and reliability. 

“I don’t think it’s as close as what people think,” the Monegasque added. “Obviously seeing the first few races, we see lots of fighting between the cars, which is actually quite nice, but as soon as you’re a little bit suboptimal with these cars, you lose a lot of lap time.”

While Leclerc acknowledged the difficulty in challenging a team so far ahead, he also left room for hope in Ferrari’s program. 

“For now, we are in an okay-ish place but of course we’re not here to only do podiums,” he said. “We want to win races, which at the moment seems very difficult because Mercedes are at a very high level. We are working very hard, especially the people back at the factory – they are working extremely hard to bring upgrades as soon as possible.”

Leclerc’s hint at some potential upgrades in the Ferrari garage certainly adds an extra layer of speculation to an already wild mix. The team has previously demonstrated an innovative rear wing concept, and managed to nail their starting procedures, proving that they are not afraid to experiment in the face of challenge. Even still, starting speed may not matter as much in the grand scheme of things if straight-end speed remains evasive. 

While Mercedes dominates on the straights, Leclerc comments on whether Ferrari can exploit the circuit’s curves.

“There are still some very long back straights where we know Mercedes are going to be extremely strong but it’s also a very twisty track in the first two sectors,” he explained. “So hopefully we can have a big enough advantage to be faster on the overall lap. At the moment it looks unlikely with the picture we’ve made in the first two races.”

With the first practice session taking place tomorrow, all eyes will be on how Ferrari matches up against the Mercedes pace.

For them, the focus remains on development and consistency over immediate dominance. Leclerc’s measured optimism reflects a team that realises the challenge ahead, and is dually determined to close the gap. As the first sessions unfold, a clearer picture will be painted of whether Mercedes will maintain its advantage, or if Ferrari truly is ready to strike back.