For months, he has repeated it like a mantra — and over the last two races, the results have proved him right. We’re talking about Ferrari’s team principal, Frederic Vasseur, who since the start of the year has consistently stressed how crucial it is to execute a race weekend perfectly in order to achieve strong results. Indeed, ever since Ferrari delivered two clean weekends — first in Austin and then in Mexico City — the SF-25’s performance has improved significantly, and the results have followed.
Looking at the numbers, in the last two events Ferrari’s drivers produced solid qualifying sessions, which they then converted into equally consistent race performances. Charles Leclerc claimed podium finishes in both weekends, helping the team secure a valuable haul of points — particularly important considering how the season had unfolded earlier. This positive trend now allows the Scuderia to approach the final part of the championship with renewed confidence and cautious optimism.
Strong performance in Mexico
This upward momentum was made possible by a positive result in Mexico, where Charles Leclerc finished second after an excellent drive. The Monegasque driver managed his car, tyres, and Max Verstappen’s late charge with precision, maximizing the SF-25’s potential. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, had a more complicated race — not due to lack of pace but because of unfavorable circumstances. After an aggressive start, he was handed a ten-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in a wheel-to-wheel fight with Max Verstappen. The penalty, widely viewed as harsh, dropped Lewis Hamilton to eighth place, denying him a possible fourth position that was well within reach.
It was a Grand Prix of two sides for Ferrari, but despite the contrasting fortunes of its drivers, the Italian team managed to reclaim second place in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of Mercedes.
Leclerc calls for a penalty
Charles Leclerc’s second-place finish could have played out differently if not for the late Virtual Safety Car period triggered by Carlos Sainz’s retirement. That phase effectively halted Max Verstappen’s comeback and allowed Leclerc to hold on to second place behind Lando Norris. The Red Bull driver couldn’t even attempt a proper attack on the Ferrari, except for a mild move on the final lap after the restart.
During the VSC phase, Verstappen stayed extremely close to Leclerc, carefully managing the delta time and minimizing his lines to avoid losing ground to the Ferrari driver. This behavior caught Leclerc’s attention, prompting him to report it to his race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, over the radio. The Monegasque called for a penalty for Verstappen, alleging that the Dutchman may have breached the VSC delta time regulations. Although no investigation or sanction followed, the exchange revealed how closely drivers monitor every situation around them, leaving nothing unnoticed inside the cockpit.
Team radio exchange
Bozzi: “Double yellow flag.”
Leclerc: “MAX. MAX AHAHAHAHA. This is definitely a penalty.”
