Charles Leclerc accused Mercedes of running a “cheeky” team-radio mind game at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, saying Mercedes engineers broadcast misleading instructions intended to force battery deployment and provoke defensive errors. Leclerc told Sky Sports and race reporters that George Russell and a Mercedes engineer deliberately misrepresented their strategy over the radio, and that his own engineer, Bryan Bozzi, was relaying messages from Mercedes engineer Marcus Dudley. He said Russell repeatedly did the opposite of those radio instructions for several laps, which forced him to alter his defensive driving, created significant late pressure and required him to fend Russell off in the closing corners.

Leclerc had qualified fourth and produced a strong start to move up early, spending the opening stints chasing McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who enjoyed superior pace in clean air and pulled away. A late Safety Car bunched the field and precipitated a frantic finish: Russell launched an overtake at the final corner on Lap 51, but Leclerc fought back through Turn 1 and crossed the line 0.484 seconds ahead of Russell to secure a podium place. Reports vary on whether Leclerc was officially classified second or third in some accounts, but all sources agree he held off Russell to claim a podium.

Leclerc called the chaotic finish “quite a fun race” and said Ferrari will use the midseason break to regroup and target upgrades before Miami. Telemetry analysis at Suzuka indicated Mercedes held an advantage of roughly 0.240 seconds per lap — an edge that would equate to about a 12-second margin over 53 laps — underlining the performance gap Ferrari must close. The Suzuka result left Leclerc third in the drivers’ standings on 49 points, with Ferrari hoping to turn consistent podiums into wins when the season resumes in Miami.

Sources