Ferrari struggles continue as Charles Leclerc’s Singapore qualifying experiment fails
Ferrari has faced a harsh reality at the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix, with its performance problems showing no immediate solution despite a bold and unconventional setup change attempted by Charles Leclerc. The team’s challenges in Marina Bay have left both drivers far from competitive pace, highlighting ongoing difficulties in maximizing the potential of the SF-25.
Leclerc and Hamilton struggle in Q3
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished sixth and seventh respectively in the Singapore qualifying session, unable to mount a serious challenge to front-running teams such as Mercedes, Red Bull, or McLaren. Hamilton emerged as the faster Ferrari driver for the first time since the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, yet he remained over half a second behind polesitter George Russell, emphasizing the gap Ferrari must bridge to compete at the front.
Throughout Friday’s practice sessions and Saturday’s qualifying, both Ferrari drivers consistently battled a lack of pace. Charles Leclerc even attempted an experimental change to the front wing during Q3 in a bid to rotate the car differently, hoping to alleviate some of the understeer issues that had plagued the SF-25 all weekend. However, the adjustment delivered minimal improvement, leaving the Monegasque frustrated and acknowledging that the car’s handling remained unpredictable, regardless of the tweak.
Leclerc admits experiment failed
The 27-year-old driver admitted that the search for a solution over the weekend had proven fruitless. Despite trying to stabilize the car’s performance and seeking consistent feedback through various setups, the Monegasque driver recognized there was little chance of escaping Ferrari’s current performance slump. Even with additional front wing elements, the final Q3 run failed to deliver meaningful improvements, leaving Charles Leclerc disappointed with his sixth-place result.
He also highlighted how surprising it was to experience such struggles at circuits where he usually excels. Baku and Singapore, two tracks historically favorable to Charles Leclerc’s driving style, now expose the SF-25’s weaknesses. Despite strong personal and team performance earlier in the 2025 season, these recent weekends have been notably off-pace, a trend raising concerns for Ferrari fans and stakeholders alike.
Charles Leclerc reflected on the broader implications of these struggles, noting that even executing a strong lap might still only result in a sixth or seventh-place grid position. Minor errors in Q1 could see drivers eliminated prematurely, underscoring how unforgiving Ferrari’s current package has become. This ongoing inconsistency has diminished Charles Leclerc’s optimism about Ferrari’s chances of securing a race victory in the near term.
Areas for improvement within Ferrari
While Ferrari continues to rely on the SF-25 as it is, Lewis Hamilton suggested that there remains potential for improvement, particularly in how the team manages qualifying sessions. He emphasized that Ferrari has not yet fully optimized the often-overlooked pitlane strategy, a critical factor in modern F1 qualifying that can have major impacts on tyre temperature and the effectiveness of outlaps.
Every Formula 1 car has unique requirements for preparing tyres during qualifying, and the 2025 Ferrari has proven especially sensitive to warming up its rubber. Lewis Hamilton noted that being caught last in the pitlane queue repeatedly causes significant temperature losses in the tyres, which is difficult to recover during an outlap. This problem, he explained, has contributed to the team consistently falling behind rivals in Q2 and Q3 sessions, particularly when other front-running teams like Red Bull and Mercedes have discovered performance upgrades.
Lewis Hamilton elaborated that the SF-25 generally feels competitive during the weekend, yet the combination of waiting in the pitlane and losing tyre temperature undermines any potential gains. Even small losses of 5–6°C in tyre temperature can dramatically affect lap times, making it challenging to match the pace of competitors on optimal tyres. According to the British driver, Ferrari can and must improve its pitlane strategy, a crucial area for gaining tenths of a second per lap during qualifying.
Despite the setbacks, both drivers remain determined to extract the maximum from the SF-25. Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that while the team is fighting hard with the current package, finishing sixth and seventh in Singapore remains disappointing given the potential to achieve stronger results. Ferrari’s ongoing struggle to adapt and optimize both car setup and strategic execution continues to highlight the challenges the Maranello-based team faces in its quest to return to race-winning form.
In summary, the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying has underlined Ferrari’s current limitations. Charles Leclerc’s experimental setup changes, while creative, failed to unlock performance, and Lewis Hamilton highlighted systemic issues related to tyre management and pitlane strategy. With rivals improving and Ferrari stuck with the SF-25, the team faces an uphill battle to close the gap and restore competitiveness in upcoming races.
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