Ferrari entered the 2025 System 1 season with excessive hopes of constructing on their sturdy end to 2024, aiming to safe their first constructors’ championship since 2008. With a star-studded lineup that includes Charles Leclerc and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, expectations have been sky-high. The Scuderia had ended final season with a flourish, claiming a double podium in Abu Dhabi and outperforming Max Verstappen and Lando Norris within the last stretch. That momentum prompt Ferrari could be critical title contenders in 2025.
Nonetheless, 1 / 4 of the way in which into the season, actuality has set in—and it’s removed from what crew principal Fred Vasseur envisioned. As an alternative of battling for wins, Ferrari finds itself struggling to maintain up with the likes of McLaren and Crimson Bull, whereas Williams has even emerged as a risk in latest races.
Charles Leclerc delivered Ferrari’s first Grand Prix podium in Saudi Arabia, and Hamilton added a Dash Race victory in China, together with a third-place end in Miami. However these remoted highlights have been overshadowed by recurring issues which are stifling Ferrari’s championship hopes.
Leclerc Reportedly Upset Over Underperforming 2025 Ground Bundle
In line with a report from The Race, Ferrari’s newest aerodynamic updates, particularly the brand new ground launched on the Bahrain Grand Prix, have didn’t ship the anticipated efficiency beneficial properties. The publication claims that Charles Leclerc has change into “particularly irate” with the event path Ferrari has taken, significantly in relation to this vital ground improve.
Leclerc, who has constructed a repute for extracting most efficiency over a single lap, discovered himself behind each Williams drivers in Miami Grand Prix qualifying—regardless of narrowly outpacing teammate Hamilton in Q2. In the meantime, Hamilton was visibly pissed off after being eradicated in Q2 with an unused set of sentimental tyres nonetheless obtainable within the storage, suggesting strategic miscommunication and missed alternatives proceed to plague the crew.
The ground, which was meant to lift the SF-25’s total efficiency ceiling, seems to have as a substitute uncovered extra points. Charles Leclerc has reportedly misplaced confidence within the automotive’s suggestions and grip ranges, significantly in altering monitor circumstances between Dash and qualifying classes—an inconsistency that’s turning into a defining theme of Ferrari’s season.
Leclerc Admits One thing Feels “Unusual” with the SF-25 in Miami
Talking after qualifying on the Miami Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc shared issues in regards to the automotive’s conduct, indicating that he needed to make main changes to his cockpit instruments and automotive settings simply to discover a workable stability. He prompt that the automotive felt considerably completely different in comparison with earlier classes and that the crew would wish to analyze what precisely had modified.
When requested whether or not the rebuild of his automotive following a crash en path to the Dash grid could have performed a task in his poor qualifying efficiency, Leclerc remained cautious. He praised the mechanics for his or her fast work however acknowledged that setup modifications may have produced surprising penalties. He added that it was unclear whether or not the brand new configuration or an underlying subject with the SF-25 was responsible for the disappointing tempo.
Urgency Builds as Ferrari’s Season Dangers Unraveling
With Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification for plank put on in China and Leclerc’s recurring frustrations over automotive stability and efficiency, Ferrari is shortly working out of time to repair their basic issues. Whereas each drivers stay extremely succesful, they’re being hampered by a package deal that’s underdelivering in key areas—particularly beneath race circumstances and heavy-fuel setups.
If Ferrari can not make vital progress quickly, their 2025 marketing campaign could quickly pivot from a championship problem to wreck limitation. With sweeping regulation modifications coming in 2026, this 12 months might be the Monegasque and Lewis Hamilton’s finest remaining alternative to mount a critical title bid collectively.
Time is working out for the Scuderia to show their season round—and each of their star drivers understand it.