Leclerc Secures Unexpected Spanish GP Podium for Ferrari Amidst Teammate Struggles

Charles Leclerc secured a surprising podium finish for Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix, a result he admitted was not anticipated despite the team's focus on race pace improvements. The Monegasque driver started seventh but capitalized on strategy and a late-race Safety Car period to climb through the field. Ferrari had shown improved qualifying performance in Barcelona, placing Leclerc seventh and Lewis Hamilton fifth. However, the team had predicted an even stronger showing on race day, and Leclerc demonstrated this potential, at times matching the pace of eventual race winner Oscar Piastri. Leclerc's race initially followed a two-stop strategy, positioning him for a potential fourth place. The decisive moment came with a Safety Car intervention. This allowed Leclerc to pit for fresh soft tyres, a move that proved advantageous, particularly as Max Verstappen ahead was running on older hard tyres. At the restart, Verstappen had a significant moment exiting the final corner, enabling Leclerc to pull alongside and successfully overtake the reigning champion into Turn 1. Leclerc later described the battle as typical racing, acknowledging both drivers pushed the limits. In contrast to Leclerc's forward progress, his teammate Lewis Hamilton faced a difficult race. After an initial gain on George Russell, Hamilton struggled with tyre degradation throughout the stints. He was instructed to let Leclerc pass early on and later lost positions due to an undercut strategy from Mercedes, which saw Russell get ahead after the second pit stop. Hamilton's challenges continued after the Safety Car restart, where he was reportedly overtaken on merit by Nico Hulkenberg, indicating his car was not performing optimally on the day. Reflecting on his unexpected podium, Leclerc highlighted that sacrificing qualifying pace for race performance was the intended strategy, but the third-place finish exceeded expectations. He noted the first two stints were strong, while the final medium tyre run was trickier before the Safety Car offered the crucial opportunity for the soft tyres. Looking ahead, Leclerc acknowledged Ferrari still has significant work to do to match the front-runners consistently but expressed determination to improve in upcoming races.