“The disappointment is big”: Leclerc ends 2025 season looking to Ferrari’s reset

Written by Kavi Khandelwal

The conclusion of the 2025 Formula One season brought a definitive end to Charles Leclerc's year, and with the adrenaline of the final race fading, the Ferrari driver admitted the disappointment of a challenging season was finally setting in. While his car showed promising speed in the finale, Leclerc focused on the broader, frustrating narrative of the year.

Credit: Formula One

Throughout 2025, the Ferrari package consistently lagged behind the pace of the front-running McLarens and Red Bulls, leaving the team unable to convert strong qualifying potential into race-winning results, ultimately ensuring they finished a distant fourth in the Constructors' battle.

Leclerc has been on the podium seven times, but never close to a win. His first podium of the year came at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The driver managed to get six P3s and one P2 in a car that seemed to lift-and-coast more than anything throughout the year.

"I'm very disappointed. I'm very disappointed in general. I think once you are in the heat of the season, race after race, you try and keep your head high, you try and stay motivated, smile and think about the positive, but when the season ends, that's where I get the disappointment is getting a little bit to me on a season like that. And I just need a few weeks break, recharge the batteries and go again for next year."

The emotional toll of navigating a campaign that failed to deliver the expected competitive fight was evident, despite ending the finale on a marginally higher note.

"It's the way it is. At least we finish on a slightly more positive note, which is a good thing always. But the disappointment of the season is quite big."

Despite the difficulty of the 2025 campaign, Leclerc's focus immediately shifted to the immense opportunities presented by the upcoming regulatory reset. The energy of the factory effort in Maranello provides the necessary motivation for the winter months.

"The season has been very tough, but true. There's still a lot of motivation going next year because we think that there's a big opportunity next year. So it's up to us to take that opportunity and we are working flat out in order to achieve that."

Leclerc closed with a direct statement of ambition for the Scuderia, placing the burden of future success firmly on the team's ability to capitalize on the technical upheaval.

"I hope that Ferrari will finally be back on top."