Austrian GP review: Ferrari’s setups pay off as Charles Leclerc claims P2 in qualifying at Red Bull Ring

In the final free practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix, we saw a testing Ferrari. At the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, which this weekend hosts round 11 of the 2025 Formula 1 season, the Italian side continued tweaking the SF-25 setup to improve performance. It was a difficult session for the Ferrari drivers, who battled an imperfect car balance. Even with the new floor, the compromise between slow and fast corners still isn’t at the level of the leaders.

Now let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the Qualifying session for the Austrian Grand Prix. The SF-25 cars remained in the garage for some time before heading out on Pirelli Soft tyres. Unlike in the final free practice session, the tyre warm-up phase was quicker, helping reach optimal temperature more efficiently. Charles Leclerc delivered a tidy first lap, though he ran wide at Turn 4.

At Turn 6 he encountered traffic and could not manage his line. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, showed some oversteer out of Turn 1 and also missed the apex at Turn 4. Despite this, he was two tenths quicker than his Monegasque teammate, gaining time mostly in Sector 2. After a short break, both returned to the track. They used the same tyre set and stuck to the same warm-up strategy.

The goal was to deliver the right energy into the tyres for maximum performance. On his next attempt, Charles Leclerc made a slight correction into Turn 3 and hit the apex better at Turn 4. Still, the lap was not particularly fast, and his time did not improve as expected. Lewis Hamilton was even less effective, correcting in Turn 1, suffering from oversteer at Turn 3, and going wide again at Turn 4. The SF-25 single-seaters appeared reasonably competitive in the flowing sections, but struggled under heavy braking in Sector 1. The car also seemed unstable on throttle application, especially exiting slow corners.

Both Ferrari cars safely made it through Q1. For Q2, they continued on Softs, with just one set available. Charles Leclerc was the first out for the decisive phase. In his flying lap, he struggled with rear-end rotation in Turn 1, costing him time—an issue noted by his race engineer Bryan Bozzi. The Italian-Danish Formula One race engineer radioed the issue and suggested a front-end balance change. Charles Leclerc requested a “minus 1.” Lewis Hamilton drove cleaner but did not improve. Both returned to the pits, with mechanics inspecting the rear of car 44 for a possible issue.

Charles Leclerc’s second push lap was stronger but hampered by more oversteer on corner exit at Turn 4. He applied the throttle early and had to correct to avoid spinning. Lewis Hamilton was again more consistent but couldn’t lower his time. Both remained about four tenths behind the leading McLaren. Before they could fully return to the pits, the session was red-flagged. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion triggered it by running wide onto the main straight and kicking up dust and debris. Marshals had to clear the track. With used Softs, Charles Leclerc made the most of the restart and delivered a solid lap, reducing the gap to the McLaren MCL39 cars, while the British driver did not improve.

Both SF-25 cars advanced comfortably to Q3. For the final run, Ferrari mounted fresh Softs. Charles Leclerc had to correct rear-end slides at Turns 2 and 3. Despite the scrappy lap, it was still strong. Bryan Bozzi instructed a fast in-lap due to limited time. Charles Leclerc instead requested two more front wing units. Lewis Hamilton, although with a more stable car, also asked for one additional step of front-end downforce.

As the final moments began, both Ferrari cars exited for their last attempt. Charles Leclerc stayed tidy until Turn 4, where oversteer again hit him on corner exit. The lap was decent but not an improvement. However, with Oscar Piastri aborting his attempt, the Monegasque driver still secured a front-row start. Lewis Hamilton struggled with confidence and finished fourth. Although Lando Norris and McLaren remain untouchable, the result was highly positive for Ferrari. The Maranello team showed meaningful progress in qualifying. While not yet perfect across all conditions, the SF-25 cars demonstrated competitiveness with their latest setup, beating both Red Bull and Mercedes.