The mood with which Ferrari arrived in Qatar had raised hopes. According to the words spoken before the race, in fact, the team was not ready to draw conclusions about the 2025 world championship, but on the contrary, it was determined — for pride and to find the motivation needed to face the season finale — to seize every possible opportunity to achieve a good result and bring some satisfaction to close a dark 2025. To understand this desire, it was enough to listen to the words of team principal Fréd Vasseur after the Las Vegas GP and those of Charles Leclerc on Thursday in Losail, when he expressed the hope of ending the championship with a positive result that could help put the many difficulties behind and boost team morale ahead of 2026. Yet, despite everything, it quickly became clear that at the track near Doha (unfavorable to the characteristics of the SF-25) a nightmare weekend was in store for the Scuderia.
Endless difficulties
The three-day Qatar weekend for the Prancing Horse began on the wrong foot right from FP1, where the SF-25 suffered major balance issues, giving both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc terrible feelings: a nervous, difficult car constantly on the verge of causing mistakes. In short, a car to be tamed more than driven. These sensations, despite the work carried out on the SF-25, the engineers were unable — even after multiple setup changes — to eliminate, since from the Sprint qualifying to the main race, the Ferrari remained unstable, nervous, and challenging. On top of that, it was slow and far behind rivals: at the finish line, after 57 laps, Charles Leclerc crossed in eighth place (about a minute behind Verstappen) and Lewis Hamilton in twelfth. A result reflecting a negative and complex race, with stretches verging on a calvary, for the Maranello team and its drivers, who too often were passengers in a car not up to the rivals or the team’s reputation.
Charles Leclerc, endless love
A race to forget, which once again highlighted the scale of failure of a season that began with big promises, and which, after the Qatar GP, was commented on by Charles Leclerc to Sky Sport F1. The Monegasque, after expressing his disappointment at the difficult year and recalling the team’s decision to sacrifice 2025 to focus fully on 2026, clearly admitted that he did not understand the reasons behind the disastrous Qatar weekend, but still showed deep attachment to Ferrari, with the hope — never hidden — of winning with the Scuderia. Sooner or later. “It’s difficult to understand why we were so far behind here,” admitted the Monegasque, “but we need to find answers. I’m sorry, also because we always have so much support. I repeat myself, but I hope our moment will come. I believe it.” – the 28-year-old driver concluded ahead of the final round of the 2025 Formula 1 championship.
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