Charles Leclerc looks forward to a potentially wet F1 Las Vegas GP race weekend

Charles Leclerc believes the Las Vegas GP weekend will be a gamble, particularly with the threat of rain. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the event, the Ferrari driver noted that wet conditions would make tire warm-up more difficult and add a layer of unpredictability to an already tricky circuit.

The late shift in the weather forecast caught several teams off guard. Temperatures dropped sharply as rain swept through the practice sessions, surprising many on arrival in Nevada, even though the team had been monitoring the race-day outlook. Asked by Sportkseeda if teams and drivers have been taken by surprise by the overcast for the weekend, Charles Leclerc replied:

“I mean surprise is probably not the right word because we get the forecast quite a bit in advance and so we kind of knew what was the situation going to be like. But yeah i mean it's not something I expected personally before speaking with the team, I was expecting a bit of a nicer weather here but it's what it is um yeah i'm i'm looking forward to that and i think it’s already a weekend where it feels a little bit like a casino for the performance of the different cars and having the rain playing a role into that as well will probably be even more like that.”

Asked if it would take a different approach when it comes to the tyre warm-up, Charles Leclerc added:

“I mean there are there are many different ways you can warm the tires and i think it will be key to a to this weekend. This year it's been a very sensitive to what we do on this on this outlaps and we can see big swings of performances and I think this weekend will be even more the case. So yeah I'm not going to give up anything of what we are going to do to try and help that but I'm pretty sure every teams have their own ways of building temperatures on the tire, and that will make a difference."

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Charles Leclerc rates his 2025 season as a good one despite Ferrari’s struggles

Charles Leclerc maintains that his 2025 season has been a strong one overall, even if it has come with its share of highs and lows and still lacks a victory. He explained that while the results have often been good, it remains important for him to continue improving.

Leclerc admitted that his radio messages or media remarks after poor performances might suggest frustration, but clarified that his mindset is always centred on pushing himself toward perfection and refining his skill set. Asked if it has been one of the more dismal seasons of his F1 career, Charles Leclerc replied:

“No, I rate my season actually high. I think I've done a good job. But again, there are always things that you can do better. I'm not going to go in the detail because this we're speaking. As I was saying, as I've said also in the past, I think the first year it was very clear what were my weaknesses because as a driver. I mean, I arrived from Formula 2 and the weaknesses are just much bigger, but then you work on them and you focus always in smaller details, and now it's smaller details. But it still makes the difference, especially when you see a qualifying, details, but it still makes the difference.”

Charles Leclerc further added:

“Especially when you see a qualifying, like in Brazil, the sprint quali, by example, where in a 10th you can go from out in Q1 to get in Q3 and have an incredible weekend. That's all down to the small details you can do better as a driver so that's where I will focus on and yeah again I think you can always do better. So no matter how well I'm doing I can yeah again I think you can always do better, and that's always been my mentality and that's will be my mentality going.”

Charles Leclerc has collected five podiums so far in 2025 and currently holds fifth in the drivers’ standings. Despite that consistency, his advantage over teammate Lewis Hamilton sits at just 26 points.

Ferrari, meanwhile, is fourth in the constructors’ championship with 362 points, trailing Red Bull by four and Mercedes by another 36. With three rounds remaining, the team from Maranello needs near-flawless execution at every race if they hope to climb back to second in the standings.

Edited by Tushhita Barua