Charles Leclerc admits having mixed feelings after unexpected Bahrain preseason testing

Charles Leclerc failed to draw conclusions from preseason testing due to Bahrain's unexpected weather conditions.

Charles Leclerc admits having mixed feelings after unexpected Bahrain preseason testing

Charles Leclerc (via Getty)

Charles Leclerc faces the challenge of having Lewis Hamilton as teammate this season. The Monegasque driver does needs to improve his performances for Ferrari. However, the 27-year-old did not have the best of sessions during preseason testing in Bahrain.

Ferrari have high ambitions for the upcoming season. Lewis Hamilton has declared that he felt incredible to be with the Scuderia during testing in Bahrain. Though, rumors had emerged that Leclerc was faster than Hamilton during the SF-25 shakedown in Fiorano.

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Charles Leclerc seemed to have struggled in Bahrain. The 27-year-old admitted that he didn’t know how to feel after facing challenging conditions. Bahrain, a country in the Middle East, is not known for cold weather conditions. As such, the 2025 test marked the first occasion when Leclerc had to face wet weather during a session at the Sakhir International Circuit.

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It’s a bit difficult to confirm the feelings because I don’t think I’ve ever experienced Bahrain like this before, it was cold, it was rainy, these are not the temperatures we are used to.

Charles Leclerc told Sky F1

Charles Leclerc gives ‘too early to talk’ verdict over pecking order

2025 is expected to be one of the closest seasons in F1’s recent history. Charles Leclerc highlighted that it is unclear what fuel loads rival teams had during their runs. Though, he pointed out that McLaren seemed to be strong. Nevertheless, the Monegasque insisted that it was simply too early to tell. As such, the 27-year-old urged Ferrari to just focus on its efforts.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (via Scuderia Ferrari)

We don’t know what fuel levels everyone is running on. McLaren seems strong, but it’s early to talk, we have to focus on ourselves and not get carried away by first impressions because we don’t know anything.

Charles Leclerc explained

Certainly, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to be in contention for the world title this year. However, this will not be an easy task with McLaren and Red Bull pushing themselves to the limit. Thus, the Tifosi can expect to witness an interesting fight at the front in the coming weeks.