Mika Hakkinen has shared his views on the seemingly stagnant situation Charles Leclerc finds himself in at Ferrari. The Monegasque joined the team in 2019, but has yet to bear the fruits of his loyalty to the Scuderia.
Leclerc has been under the wings of Ferrari since his junior racing days and was touted as the driver who could bring championship glory back to Maranello. However, recent results speak a different story entirely as reports suggest the 27-year-old could be on the move as early as 2027.
On the other hand, 1998 and 1999 F1 champion Mika Hakkinen also had a similar story with his time at McLaren. He joined the team in 1993, but lacked the machinery capable of winning titles from the start.
Despite this, he remained with the Woking-based team and eventually reaped the rewards of his patience. Thus, sharing his point of view on the situation in which Leclerc currently finds himself at Ferrari, the Flying Finn declared on Fancode:
“His management thinks very seriously about what is happening and what will happen in the future. From my personal experience, I never gave up. I was very loyal to McLaren, with the management being able to convince me that ‘Mika, wait, when we have fixed all aspects in the team, you will win. Let’s work hard. It doesn’t matter if it takes 1-2-3 years. Let’s do it.’ It worked on my personal commitment. It will work with Leclerc and Ferrari.”
On the other hand, Charles Leclerc is having a mediocre 2025 campaign so far.
Charles Leclerc is not optimistic for the rest of the 2025 season with Ferrari
Charles Leclerc emerged victorious three times last year. However, this year he failed to reach the top step of the podium and only made the podium five times.
With his last visit to the podium at the Belgian GP, his results have seen a decline since then. Furthermore, finishing P6 at the Singapore GP was another sub-optimal result that the Monegasque had to settle for.
So, unhappy with the way things are going at the Italian giant, he said after the Singapore GP (via The official F1 website):
“It’s hard, it’s very hard. We’re not strong at the moment and we’re struggling a lot with the car. It’s not easy. I wish I could say I’m positive for the rest of the season, I don’t think there’s anything in the car that tells me we’re going to take a step forward.”
Leclerc finished third in the standings last year, but repeating that result looks highly unlikely in 2025. He has a massive 100-point deficit to current third-place finisher Max Verstappen with just six races remaining.
Edited by Geetansh Pasricha
