The 2025 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, the thirteenth round of the current championship season, unfolded in a fiercely competitive context, where Ferrari aimed to maximise the potential of its SF-25 single-seater. It was a demanding and unpredictable race at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, with Charles Leclerc starting from third on the grid behind the two McLaren drivers. Meanwhile, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton opted for a pit lane start. The British driver’s SF-25 featured a brand-new power unit and underwent a double setup modification involving both aerodynamics and mechanical components. At the chequered flag, Charles Leclerc crossed the line in third place, while Lewis Hamilton finished only in seventh.
The start at Spa was delayed due to weather conditions. One of the first notable elements during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend was the difference in setup between the two Ferrari drivers. Since Lewis Hamilton started from the pit lane, the British driver chose a spoon-shaped high-downforce rear wing configuration to enhance vertical grip. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, retained the low-downforce rear wing that had helped him secure third position in qualifying.
The race did not begin as planned due to unsafe track conditions caused by heavy rain. A red flag was shown, and all cars returned to the pit lane. After approximately one hour and fifteen minutes, the drivers resumed action behind the Safety Car, completing several laps to assess whether it was safe to race. Eventually, conditions were deemed suitable, and a rolling start was declared instead of the usual grid start.
So let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for the Maranello team in Belgium: after four laps behind the Safety Car, the race officially restarted. From the Ferrari pit wall, engineer Bryan Bozzi instructed Charles Leclerc to activate the K2 overboost engine mapping and keep it engaged until exiting Turn 12. This strategy aimed to maximise the energy deployment from the hybrid components of the Ferrari power unit.
The Monegasque driver held onto third place, attempting to keep pace with the two leading McLaren cars, while Lewis Hamilton was still languishing in 18th position, following closely behind Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin. The following lap saw Lewis Hamilton make his first significant move of the race, overtaking Stroll. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc began feeling pressure from behind, as Max Verstappen closed the gap in the Red Bull.
Ferrari then issued a clear instruction to both drivers: tyre management was critical. On the straights, they were told to cool the tyres by driving offline, and to avoid overloading them in corners. In the next two laps, Hamilton began his steady recovery, showcasing strong pace with his Ferrari SF-25 by overtaking Carlos Sainz, Franco Colapinto, and Nico Hülkenberg.
Leclerc struggles with understeer, Hamilton pushes forward
At the same time, Charles Leclerc’s situation grew more complicated. He reported a strong understeer issue, just as Max Verstappen began to pressure him even more closely. The Monegasque driver’s race pace was clearly inferior to the leading McLaren MCL39 cars, but he managed to stay in front of Max Verstappen thanks to Ferrari’s straight-line speed advantage, which helped compensate for a lack of cornering grip due to the low-downforce setup.
From the Ferrari pit wall, Charles Leclerc was advised to perform tyre-saving measures specifically through Turns 5, 10, and 15 in order to extend the life of his intermediate tyres. Over the radio, Leclerc expressed concerns that the rear-end instability—caused by the low-downforce aerodynamic configuration—was the root of his tyre degradation struggles.
As the race moved into the middle of the second sector, Lewis Hamilton overtook Pierre Gasly and began chasing down young British driver Oliver Bearman. Mercedes engineers radioed Hamilton, asking for his opinion on switching to slick tyres if the drying line on the track continued to widen. Just one lap later, he was called into the pits for medium slicks, in accordance with the pre-discussed strategy.
Mid-race status: Leclerc controls the pace, Hamilton advances
Upon rejoining the track in 17th place, Lewis Hamilton immediately attempted to regain positions using the medium compound tyres. His pit stop came one lap earlier than Charles Leclerc’s, who also switched to medium tyres but without any changes to the car’s setup. Charles Leclerc rejoined in sixth place, having retained a safe gap to Max Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton’s stop proved well-timed. The British driver climbed up to seventh, gaining ground compared to the early phase of the race. The strategic decisions taken by the Mercedes pit wall allowed him to latch onto the DRS train led by Alexander Albon’s Williams. This provided Hamilton with an opportunity to remain close to the points-paying positions. The Ferrari SF-25s performed consistently with the medium tyres.
Charles Leclerc successfully kept Max Verstappen at bay. The Dutch driver, via team radio, complained of traction issues due to power clipping during acceleration, which limited his top speed on the straights. Similarly, Hamilton began to feel the limitations of his higher-downforce configuration, which affected his ability to overtake Albon, particularly in the high-speed sectors. Meanwhile, the two McLaren drivers had already opened up a comfortable gap at the front.
This middle phase of the race became stable, with most teams managing tyre wear and fuel consumption. Hamilton, in particular, received repeated instructions to use lift and coast techniques—especially into Turn 10—to preserve tyre life. At the halfway mark of the race, now lap 22, the scenario remained largely unchanged. Hamilton managed to put some distance between himself and Albon to avoid turbulent air affecting his performance.
With clear air ahead, Charles Leclerc was able to maintain a steady rhythm. His race pace was strong enough to keep Verstappen out of DRS range, although not fast enough to catch the leading McLarens. The race appeared settled, with each team focusing on tyre management while waiting for a possible strategic window or an unexpected incident to shake things up.
Ferrari back on the podium with Leclerc as Hamilton stalls in seventh
An update on tyre conditions for both Ferrari drivers revealed a positive situation. Hamilton asked over the radio whether more rain was expected, but race engineer Riccardo Adami confirmed that dry conditions would continue until the end. For Charles Leclerc, the objective was clear—defend the podium position from Verstappen. For Lewis Hamilton, however, Ferrari’s strategy remained less clear, as his second stint pace appeared to drop off.
In theory, the Briton had the potential to pass Albon’s Williams and then attempt an overtake on George Russell. The earlier fuel-saving efforts using lift and coast should have allowed him to push harder in the closing laps. However, after the switch to slick tyres, on-track battles diminished as tyre management took priority.
With around 14 laps remaining, Hamilton tried to close the gap to Albon. Despite having more downforce, his Ferrari was unable to convert that into a clear advantage through Sector 2. Albon remained quick, especially through the middle sector and on the straights. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc’s situation remained unchanged, with Bryan Bozzi continuing to urge him to push.
The team suggested using SOC 8 mode to optimise K1 deployment from the hybrid system, but traction issues remained the limiting factor preventing Charles Leclerc from closing the gap to the cars ahead. In the final laps, there were no major changes. Lewis Hamilton had impressed with his recovery drive from the back, and Ferrari’s race strategy had been sound. Still, the pace was not sufficient for Hamilton to improve on seventh place.
Charles Leclerc’s race was clean and well-managed, and his performance with the SF-25 ensured he held onto third place ahead of Max Verstappen. The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix came to a close with a strong result for Ferrari, but also with the awareness that the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix will require the team to bring more impactful upgrades in order to take another step forward and capitalise fully on the SF-25’s technical developments.
— see video above —
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