Ferrari endured a challenging and disappointing 2025 Formula 1 season, as their drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton could only manage fifth and sixth places in the drivers’ championship standings. The Scuderia entered the season with high expectations, hoping that 2025 could be the year they finally returned to the top of Formula 1. Ferrari has not secured a drivers’ championship since Kimi Raikkonen’s victory in 2007, nor have they claimed the constructors’ title since 2008.
Initially, team principal Fred Vasseur and Lewis Hamilton believed that the campaign could yield strong results, especially with Hamilton’s high-profile arrival at Ferrari at the start of the season. However, these ambitions quickly faded once the team realised the extent of McLaren’s development over the winter. McLaren had narrowly beaten Ferrari to the 2024 constructors’ championship by just 14 points, highlighting the growing competition.
By April, Fred Vasseur made the strategic decision to halt development on the 2025 car, redirecting resources and focus entirely towards the 2026 regulations. As a result, Ferrari introduced only one significant upgrade to the SF-25 for the remainder of the season. Even then, their rear suspension upgrade in Belgium failed to address the ongoing performance issues, leaving the team struggling to make progress.
The 2025 season saw Ferrari fail to win a single Grand Prix for the first time since 2021. For the Monegasque driver, it marked his fourth winless year in seven seasons with the Scuderia, while Lewis Hamilton endured his first season without a podium in his 19-year Formula 1 career. Despite these setbacks, Charles Leclerc emphasised the importance of acknowledging personal growth during the season. He considered his progress and consistency to be a source of positivity, noting that he had contributed to all seven of Ferrari’s podium finishes in 2025 and secured the team’s sole pole position.
Charles Leclerc reflected on his season with RACER, explaining that although he was disappointed with the results, he recognised the value in maximising his performance under difficult circumstances. He acknowledged that finishing fourth, fifth, or sixth was not a position that brought satisfaction, but he felt that, from a personal perspective, he had delivered a strong season. He remained critical of himself, always seeking areas for improvement, but believed he had reasons to be content with his individual performance despite Ferrari’s broader struggles.
A highlight for Charles Leclerc in 2025 came at the Hungarian Grand Prix in August, where he claimed pole position. However, a victory was ultimately out of reach due to Ferrari’s rear suspension upgrade introduced at the previous Belgian round failing to resolve the SF-25’s persistent ride height issues. These problems had affected the car throughout the entire season, undermining both drivers’ chances of success.
Earlier in the season, during the Chinese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton faced disqualification due to excessive plank wear on his Ferrari. The team focused its efforts on developing updates to resolve this issue, but the solutions failed to deliver the required performance. Ferrari ultimately sacrificed their best opportunity to win in Hungary to protect Charles Leclerc’s plank, a decision that exemplified the limitations they faced in 2025. Throughout the season, both Leclerc and Hamilton’s cars had to run with raised ride heights, a compromise that came at the cost of competitive performance.
Looking ahead to the 2026 F1 championship, Ferrari plans to switch back to push-rod suspension after experimenting with pull-rod configurations in 2025 in an attempt to extract every bit of performance from their car during the final year of ground-effect regulations. While the team hopes this change will deliver improvements, concerns remain regarding the performance of Ferrari’s 2026 power unit under the new regulations.
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