Being consistently the second-fastest team on the grid was Ferrari’s clear, albeit softly spoken, objective for the final part of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Despite a difficult start to the championship, the team from Maranello had placed its hopes in the definitive version of the SF-25 — complete with all its technical upgrades, particularly a redesigned floor and revised suspension system. The goal was to systematically leave both Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-AMG Petronas behind in the pecking order.
Moreover, the ambition within the Gestione Sportiva (GeS) department was not limited to consolidating second place. There was also a desire to strike opportunistically — ideally in special conditions — and challenge the exceptionally competitive McLaren team, with the hope of even securing a few unexpected race victories before the season’s end.
And indeed, since Ferrari introduced the much-anticipated upgrades at the Belgian Grand Prix, the goal of becoming McLaren’s primary challenger has been achieved. At Spa-Francorchamps, Charles Leclerc finished the race in third place, just behind the two papaya-coloured McLaren cars. A similar scenario repeated itself on the Friday of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, further confirming the upward trajectory of Ferrari’s performance.
Charles Leclerc delivers a masterclass
With their minimum target consolidated, Ferrari approached the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend with growing confidence. The team hoped that specific race conditions might offer a chance to dream even bigger. Those conditions materialized during the decisive Q3 phase of qualifying at the Hungaroring. As strong gusts of wind and dropping track temperatures disrupted the McLarens — who had dominated the weekend up to that point — Ferrari seized the opportunity.
Charles Leclerc delivered a stunning lap to claim an unexpected pole position, one that was surprising but certainly not undeserved. It served as yet another demonstration of the Monegasque driver’s raw speed and immense talent over a single lap. And to fully appreciate the magnitude of his achievement — without diminishing the quality of the SF-25 and the work done by the team — one only needs to glance at Lewis Hamilton’s disastrous qualifying performance. The British driver could only manage 13th place, a worrying sign that is causing serious concern within the Ferrari camp.
Leo Turrini’s take on the situation
The qualifying session was, in effect, a tale of two very different outcomes for Scuderia Ferrari — a contrast that journalist Leo Turrini reflected on in his well-known blog, Profondo Rosso.
Turrini began by highlighting the increasingly evident difference in performance between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. While the former continues to dazzle on track, the latter has so far contributed more with words than with results. Turrini then digressed briefly to comment on the renewal of team principal Frédéric Vasseur’s contract, before turning his attention — albeit without excessive optimism — toward the prospects for the race itself.
“Leclerc takes pole position, while Hamilton compiles reports. […] Let’s try again. After the announcement of Fred Vasseur’s contract renewal, Ferrari’s stock dropped by more than ten percent on the stock exchange. […] Okay, that’s a brutal comment. […] I’m just joking — jokes inspired by the joy sparked by a miracle that defies rational explanation. Something mad happened in Budapest.
Everyone knows the affection I feel for ‘Carletto’ [Leclerc’s nickname]. […] If you manage to take 27 pole positions with the Ferrari cars given to you by Mattia Binotto and now Fred Vasseur since 2019, then you are nothing short of a phenomenon. […]
Lewis Hamilton is a problem. Same car, but he can’t even make it into the Top Ten. And it’s happening far too often. I’ll repeat myself: […] the answer lies within him — but I fear it’s the wrong one. I don’t think McLaren will lose the Grand Prix. […] Lazarus only rose from the dead once.”
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