Leclerc believes McLaren ‘on another planet’ with pace as he assesses where Ferrari stand after Friday in Japan

Charles Leclerc was left feeling positive following a “constructive” day for Ferrari during Friday’s practice sessions at the Japanese Grand Prix, despite the Monegasque suggesting that rivals McLaren “seem to be on another planet” with their pace-setting form.

Leclerc ended Free Practice 1 in third place on the timesheets – four-tenths off Lando Norris at the top – before taking P7 in what would prove to be a disrupted second hour of running featuring several red flags.

FP2: Piastri sets the pace as Doohan crashes amid disrupted second practice in Japan

Reflecting on how his first day on track at the Suzuka Circuit had felt, the 27-year-old gave an upbeat assessment as he explained: “I felt it was quite positive. I’ve tried so many things today and for that I think it was a very constructive day.

“We didn’t put everything together, but I feel like the performance is probably better than what we are seeing on [the timesheets]. I’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow, but I feel like everything we’ve learned today will be completely the opposite tomorrow with the huge change of wind – it will be a big change, especially on a track like this.”

SUZUKA, JAPAN - APRIL 04: Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 on — Leclerc felt that Friday had been a "constructive" day for Ferrari at the Japanese Grand Prix

Leclerc further said of FP2: “It was just frustrating because I wasn’t putting one lap on the board. Every time there was either traffic or a red flag, or another red flag or another red flag again, so that was frustrating in that way.

“It was very constructive though. We’ve made loads of changes, and it was a good day. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from this car today, and I feel like I maybe understood where I want it more for the future races, so that’s always a good thing.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch as Piastri goes fastest while Doohan crashes in disrupted FP2 in Japan

Pushed on whether he is hopeful of being in the mix during the rest of the weekend, Leclerc was optimistic but cautioned that reigning Teams’ Champions McLaren look to have the edge on their competitors.

“We need to be careful because McLaren seems to be on another planet, but I feel like I maybe have a bit more of an idea on how to maximise our potential, which is always a good thing,” the eight-time winner said.

As for team mate Lewis Hamilton, FP1 saw the seven-time World Champion follow just behind Leclerc in fourth place before repeating that position on the timesheets for second practice.

“It’s been a really nice day,” Hamilton commented after the day’s track action was complete. “This track is awesome – it never ceases to amaze you when you get on this circuit, and also we’ve got an incredible crowd here this weekend. The support for Ferrari is… [it’s my] first time seeing it.

SUZUKA, JAPAN - APRIL 03: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari talks to the media — Hamilton is continuing to adapt to the SF-25 on his third race weekend as a Ferrari driver

“But generally the sessions went well – we got through all the sessions. Obviously it was a bit worrying to see the crash in Turn 1 [for Jack Doohan in FP2] – glad to see he’s okay.

“It’s quite gusty so the wind is going this way, so you get a big headwind through the Esses and that’s when the track is the fastest, but it felt great. We got through all the programme. We’ve got some performance we need to pick up – we’re not the quickest at the moment, but I think it’s a good baseline.”

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Asked about how much he has been able to feel more comfortable with the SF-25 – as well as whether he has a read on where Ferrari stand in the pecking order at the front – Hamilton spoke positively about his process of adjustment to his new car.

“I’ve not really been focusing massively on what everyone else is doing,” the Briton responded. “I’ve been really trying to focus on learning as much as I can and continue to grow with the team.

“From weekend to weekend, I’m getting more comfortable in the surroundings and in the car, just remembering everything that’s within the cockpit. And also the settings, I’m understanding more of the set-up changes that we can do, for example between those two sessions.

“It’s starting to get to a point where I can push the car in a direction [and] know which tools I have in order to use to put the car in a better place, so I’m getting more comfortable with it and I expect that to just continue over all the races.”