Leclerc Details Verstappen Challenge for Spa Podium

Charles Leclerc of the Ferrari team secured a third-place finish at the Belgian Grand Prix, overcoming intense pressure from Max Verstappen. According to F1News, Leclerc navigated challenging conditions to claim his fifth podium of the season. This article explores Leclerc’s strategy, the wet track challenges, and Ferrari’s performance upgrades.

Starting from third on the grid, Leclerc fended off Verstappen’s challenge during the opening laps on intermediate tires, despite their wear. Both drivers switched to medium slick tires on the same lap, with Verstappen maintaining a 2.0-2.5-second gap for most of the race. However, Verstappen could not overtake the Ferrari.

Leclerc explained, “Max was behind me the entire race, within two seconds, so it was never easy. The first part was trickiest due to our lower downforce compared to McLaren and Max.” Furthermore, he highlighted the difficulty of the wet track, where deviating 10-15 centimeters from the ideal line could lead to costly mistakes. Consequently, Leclerc asked his engineer, Bryan Bozzi, to limit communications to maintain focus.

Leclerc expressed satisfaction with Ferrari’s recent upgrades. “We’ve achieved what we expected from this upgrade, which is really positive,” he stated. With his fifth podium of 2025 and third consecutive third-place finish at Spa, Leclerc is optimistic about challenging McLaren in future races. Nevertheless, he emphasized the need for continuous learning to maximize the car’s potential.

Charles Leclerc’s strategic driving secured a podium at the Belgian Grand Prix, despite relentless pressure from Max Verstappen. With Ferrari’s upgrades showing promise, the team aims to close the gap to McLaren in upcoming races. For the latest Formula 1 updates, visit SPORTRIK.