Charles Leclerc finished the Bahrain Grand Prix in fourth place, awaiting the outcome of the investigation into George Russell. The British driver may face a penalty that could promote Leclerc to third place.
With dull eyes and a face marked by disappointment, there were no other emotions on Charles Leclerc’s face at the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he finished in fourth position behind Lando Norris and George Russell—who is under investigation for accidentally opening his DRS. The result for the Monegasque driver, at the end of the fourth round of the season, was inevitably affected by the race strategy decisions from Ferrari’s pit crew, which were impacted by the Safety Car that came out after Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda’s collision.
In Bahrain, Scuderia Ferrari had arrived with a new update package, hoping for some early positive signs from the SF-25, which has been struggling. These updates debuted on the Sakhir circuit, a track that Leclerc feels “isn’t ideal to showcase them fully.” However, both Ferrari drivers earned valuable points for the Constructors’ Championship, positioning themselves in the battle with Mercedes and Red Bull. With 20 races still to go in the season, these results could be encouraging.
At the start of the race, Leclerc—who had benefited from a penalty imposed on both Mercedes drivers for entering the pit lane before the official resumption of qualifying—was passed by both George Russell and Lando Norris. However, the Monegasque driver managed to finish in fourth place, awaiting the result of the investigation into Russell (number 63), which could elevate him to the third step of the podium, his first of 2025.
“Yes, I’m a bit disappointed. I mean, in the end, we did everything we had to do, ” said Leclerc, starting to analyze the decisions made during the race on the Sakhir circuit.
“The start was very complicated with the mediums, we lost a few positions. Then we managed, we had to be patient. We went a bit longer, and then it started to pay off. Then the safety car came out, which kind of wiped everything out. Then with the hard tires, we struggled. So, yes, it’s a shame to lose the podium. But I feel like today, this was the maximum we could do. It’s disappointing because when you fight so hard until the end, and you’re fighting for the first podium of the season, the pace simply isn’t there, it’s not good enough to reach it.”
“So, I really hope we’ll have the car soon to fight again,” concluded a hopeful Charles Leclerc, looking forward to the next race in Jeddah.
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari HP.
