Charles Leclerc conceded even he was unsure what was behind Ferrari's underwhelming start to the 2025 Formula One season, but is hoping to put that right in Monaco. 

The Monegasque arrives in his homeland fifth in the drivers' standings, having scored Ferrari's only podium of the season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. 

Ferrari have shown flashes of brilliance but have rarely challenged McLaren at the front, with the Scuderia fourth in the constructors' standings on 114 points after seven races. 

Their woes were underlined in qualifying at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, where both Leclerc and team-mate Lewis Hamilton failed to make it to the third qualifying session. 

Ferrari have identified a fundamental issue with the rear of their car and are reportedly working on a new rear suspension, and it could be fixed before the British Grand Prix. 

Speaking ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Leclerc was clear that Ferrari were not prepared to give up on the season just yet despite their slow start. 

"No, we definitely don't want to give up now," Leclerc said in the FIA press conference. "It's still kind of early. We’re getting to mid-season soon. We cannot afford to give up now.

"We've seen last year the situation has changed a lot since McLaren brought those upgrades.

"I believe in Barcelona, there will be another important point of the season with these new regulations on the front wings, and there we will see whether it benefits us or not.

"Fred will have to make the decision whether it's the right time to move on to prepare for next season - that's going to be super, super important to be starting on the right foot.

"What is wrong with this car? I wish I knew. What's in the pipeline? We've got quite a few things, but I cannot give any timelines.

"The timelines keep changing because the team keeps pushing a lot to bring them as early as possible, so there are things.

"Whether it's going to be enough to close the gap. To close the gap, I would hope so, but to be in front and fighting for wins, I am not sure yet."

"Clearly we are aware of what our weak points have been so far, but we also know that Monaco is a unique race. I am always super motivated and I can't wait to get out on track and see how competitive we are."

— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 22, 2025

Leclerc also acknowledged that the "unique" circuit in Monaco could play into Ferrari's hands, though stressed the importance of finishing strongly in qualifying.

This season's edition of the infamous race will also see two mandatory pit stops introduced, aiming to generate more excitement on track, given the difficulty of overtaking. 

"Of course you believe in yourself, and on street tracks it has been relatively positive for me in the past," Leclerc said about his hopes for Monaco.

"The only change this year compared to others is that we have a very specific weakness - low-speed corners.

"But, in Monaco, it's also so unique and so different from anything we've raced on over the season. 

"But, we can have a bit of a surprise once we put the car down tomorrow. I hope it will happen. And, if it doesn't, I hope to be there on Saturday.

"Which, in my time, will remain the most important part of the weekend. But, on paper, it’s going to stay that way."

Leclerc later said that, provided he can make it into Q3, there is always hope of "doing something magic, because you don't know where you stand at".

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Charles Leclerc – Ferrari

After an emotional maiden victory at his home race last year, Leclerc will be hoping to repeat the trick around the streets of Monaco, but must do something no driver has managed to achieve in 10 years. 

Since 2015, no driver has won consecutive races in Monaco (a run of three by Nico Rosberg from 2013 to 2015), but the Monegasque often relishes the challenge that the street circuit brings. 

Leclerc has taken pole position in three of the last four editions of the Monaco Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen starting at the front of the grid back in 2023. Only in Azerbaijan has Leclerc achieved more (four) in his F1 career (also three in Belgium).

In fact, only Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton (seven in Great Britain), Ayrton Senna (six in Brazil), Jim Clark (five in Great Britain) and Stirling Moss (four in Great Britain) have achieved more poles in their home race than the Monaco driver.

And after their qualifying woes at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix last weekend, Leclerc and Ferrari understand the importance of finishing as high as possible on Saturday, given the circuit is one of the most difficult to overtake on. 

However, the Monaco Grand Prix polesitter has won the race in four of the last nine editions (44.4%) after winning in 10 of the previous 11 (90.9%), the exception being Hamilton in 2008 (third at the start). 

Oscar Piastri – McLaren

After seeing his championship lead reduced following a third-placed finish in Imola, Piastri will be keen to get his title tilt back on track in Monaco this weekend. 

Piastri has six F1 wins, four of which came in the first seven races of 2025. If he takes one more, it will be the 50th win for Australian drivers in the competition, making the Oceanic country the seventh to reach that number of victories.

He has also scored points in each of his last 33 races. Should he score in Monaco, Piastri will be on the third-best scoring run in the history of the competition, surpassing Hamilton's 33-race streak between Japan 2016 and France 2018. 

Piastri and Lando Norris will also contest their 54th race together as McLaren team-mates, surpassing the pairing of Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli (53 with Toyota) as the 27th duo with the most races in F1 history.

And McLaren will also be looking to continue their dominance in the constructors' standings. The British team have achieved two doubles in 2025 (China and Miami), both with Piastri ahead of Norris. They can get three in the same year in F1 for the first time since 2010 (three). 

It’s all love in Monaco for Osc #McLaren | #M7AReborn | #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/mMYvBmtpy2

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 22, 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers'

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 146

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 133

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 124

4. George Russell (Mercedes) - 99

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 61

Constructors'

1. McLaren - 279

2. Mercedes - 147

3. Red Bull - 131

4. Ferrari - 114

5. Williams - 51