Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc achieved an impressive P3 finish at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, successfully holding off the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.
The Italian team arrived at Spa-Francorchamps with a notable upgrade package and there was excitement among the fan base, but Lewis Hamilton‘s Qualifying 1 exit thanks to a deleted lap time but a dampener on the build-up to Sunday’s race.
The fact that he managed to go from P18 to P7 in Sunday’s race, coupled with Leclerc managing to secure a podium place behind the two McLaren‘s, meant it was a largely positive weekend for Ferrari.
There were plenty of instances in the race, particularly in the first stint, where it seemed that Verstappen had too much in the locker for Leclerc and would make his way past. The margins were so thin that it wouldn’t be a leap to suggest that the pre-upgrade Ferrari would not have been able to hold the Dutchman off.
When asked about the podium during the post-race press conference, Leclerc admitted that he did not expect to finish in P3 despite that being where he started the race.
“It’s nice. I don’t think we expected it, especially after the Sprint Qualifying when I saw the gap with the top three. I was like, okay, it’s going to be probably the best we can do this weekend. Yesterday, we did a really good lap. We did take a little bit of a gamble with the lower downforce compared to people around us, and then the rain today was tricky,” Leclerc said.
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“The first part of the race was very difficult and Max definitely was faster than me. I had to keep him behind there, which we did. Once we went on the slicks, things came a bit more towards me. I just knew I had to do the job and P3 could be ours, which at the end it is, and I’m very happy.”
The Monegasque drive admitted that there were times where he expected to have pulled away from the Red Bull but they continued to match each other through the whole race.
When asked if Verstappen ever tried to make a clear move on him, Leclerc responded: “In the wet, probably. He was very, very close to me, but he never actually made it, which is great.
“The gap was always exactly the same. Sometimes I was doing a really good lap, and then I would look at the gap and he would do exactly the same lap. I was like, f**k, okay, so I just need to keep that pace now. Until the very end, he was very close to me.”
Upgrades make a difference for Ferrari
There was plenty of talk about the upgrade package that Ferrari was bringing to Belgium this weekend and Lewis Hamilton previously explained that the Italian team’s upgrades tend to be infrequent but more notable than other teams.
Leclerc himself admitted that he may not have got the podium without the latest upgrades, and the way Hamilton fought through the field in the early stages was also a very promising sign.
“I’m pleased with the steps forward we are doing, and I think we should all be proud about that because I know that behind that, there’s a lot of work behind the scenes from the people back at home for us to have this upgrade here,” Leclerc said.
“It definitely helped us to get the podium when you see how close it was with Max today. However, we are all aware that this is not enough, and we need to keep pushing in order to be closer to the McLaren. This is very clear for the whole team. It doesn’t change that we shall be satisfied with what we’ve done this weekend.”
