There is something epic, almost tragic, in the way Charles Leclerc continues to love Ferrari. It is a story that does not need trophies to shine, because it is made of glances turned to the sky after every perfect lap, of measured words and clenched fists in the helmet, of promises made to oneself, year after year.
And in Jeddah, in the fifth appointment of the 2025 season, that red, lost heart beat and let the Fans' heart beat too. Because the podium was not a victory, but for those who have followed Charles for years, it has the taste of redemption, of revenge, of starting over. With hope. With belonging. He was there. Even if for Ferrari the question still arises.
Leclerc and Ferrari danced in the desert
Between the artificial lights and the scorching asphalt of Jeddah, those 29 degrees were a moment of recovery for Leclerc. The Monegasque brought Ferrari back into the top three in a result that for others would simply be “worth heavy points”, but for Maranello it is worth gold. Because it comes after a start of season full of problems, the same ones that are still being solved today, in a 2025 start in which this SF-25 fails to give signs of life. But when he does, not just anyone, but the boy who continue to believe in the Red more than the Red believes in itself, it seems like something more.
Vanzini's words are repeated every time, everyone out there repeats them, those who always give Ferrari the last chance, which is never the last. “Give this boy a car.” A mantra, a faith, like Leclerc's for Ferrari. And not the blind one, which fades with disappointments. But a faith that is built every day, in every lap, even when everything seems lost and leaves you breathless, the seconds of gap counted, the screams in your throat until the finish line.
Management, courage, intelligence
The race was a masterpiece of strategic intelligence and management and for many this made him Driver Of The Day. No fireworks, but precision. Because Charles' second row is consistency, but staying there for long stretches is the ability to wait, take care of the tires and then push. Each time the number 16 seems to know what the right moment is and improvise without mistakes when needed.
Behind the podium are the details: the always clear communications with the pit wall, the control in close duels, the serenity even in the most hectic moments. Leclerc today is a mature, complete driver, who has nothing more to prove. And precisely for this reason, he still has everything to conquer. And that is what everyone expects from him, without pressure. The same as everyone else's, but he's trying to stop translating them negatively.
Uncomfortable comparisons
On the other side of the box, Hamilton. The Lion King, who arrived in the Red to write the final page of his legend, finished seventh. It's early to judge, but comparisons are inevitable. Leclerc knows this car like the back of his hand. Lewis doesn't yet. And while one climbs back onto the podium, the other gets lost in the technical compromises of a nervous car, which still doesn't seem to want to speak his language. And he leaves the box sulking, heartbroken, full of questions. "Well done Charles," he says on team radio. And then he apologizes.
But it's not your fault, Lewis. It's just that getting used to bad luck is difficult, just like getting used to the fact that consistency is lacking in Ferrari and you have to be full of expectations and respect them, because otherwise no one does. Leclerc has learned it, he is learning it and maybe while everyone was wondering who he was learning what from, maybe it's the number 44 who needs to know how to listen to his teammate. Because if there's one thing the Monegasque can teach, it's that, in his opinion, the dream is never over. In Ferrari's memorable victories and painful collapses, Leclerc speaks of the car in the plural, as one speaks of an "us" that exists only between those who love each other. “We have to improve”, he always says. They don't “have to”.
Leclerc, the man who always believes
Today Leclerc is much more than a Ferrari driver. He is a symbol. Defined by many as naive, he is the most convinced man on the grid. And not because he has no alternatives, but because he has a mission. The 2025 Ferrari is not yet ready to win the World Championship, that much is clear. But it has started to grow again. And there are still 19 races to shout it out to the world. And Charles Leclerc knows it. The podium in Jeddah is a declaration of intent. So yes, let's really give him a car. Without clashes in the pits, but only because this boy deserves it. Because talent says so, consistency says so, the heart says so.
