The United States Grand Prix Sprint in Austin proved once again that Ferrari is struggling to fight at the sharp end of the grid. The SF-25 continues to disappoint, offering no chance for the Scuderia’s drivers to compete for podium positions. The single hour of practice on Friday provided little help in finding an optimal setup, as anticipated in our preview, making it difficult to create a solid compromise. With many questions remaining, the team approached the sprint hoping for some recovery.
Strong start for Ferrari
One of the key objectives in the Sprint Race was gathering data on race pace—a preview of the full 300-kilometer race, especially to evaluate setup performance with a high fuel load and tire thermal management. As the cars lined up on the grid, the focus was on a perfect launch. Both SF-25s carefully managed their Medium tires to ensure optimal temperature at the start. Ferrari benefitted from a major first-corner incident involving Nico Hulkenberg, the two McLarens, and Alonso. Charles Leclerc emerged in fourth, with Lewis Hamilton in fifth, although Leclerc suspected some damage to car number 16.
The Safety Car was deployed immediately due to the debris on track. Leclerc asked the team about potential rear wing load loss, but telemetry showed no issues. Hamilton reported challenges from debris in the first sector and at Turn 11, making tire management critical. The stewards gradually cleared the track, a slow and complex process.
Race resumes, Leclerc loses position
After five of nineteen laps, the race restarted on lap six with proper race mode and brake mapping restored. Both Ferrari drivers maintained position initially. In the following laps, the DRS was enabled. The SF-25s theoretically had podium potential, with Carlos Sainz holding third in his Williams. Leclerc tried to close in, but after a mistake on a high-speed section in sector two, Hamilton overtook him. Charles apologized over the radio. Hamilton then focused on closing the gap to Sainz, maintaining a strong pace in the middle portion of the race.
The balance of the Ferrari was generally satisfactory with fuel on board, though understeer persisted in corner entry, limiting performance compared to qualifying. Some difficulties remained in the first sector, where Hamilton lost time in the tight turns relative to Sainz. Passing the Spaniard, who was pushing at maximum, proved challenging.
Williams untouchable
With five laps remaining, the situation stayed the same. Sainz’s pace was extremely strong, and he controlled the gap comfortably. Hamilton, attempting to push, exceeded track limits twice as noted by his engineer. The race ended under double yellow flags following a collision between Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon, with the Safety Car returning. Ferrari did not have the pace to challenge Sainz for the podium despite an initially favorable start.
Looking ahead to the rest of the weekend, Ferrari faces an uphill battle. The team will have another chance to adjust the car ahead of the second qualifying session, hoping to find a more balanced aero-mechanical compromise to improve overall performance.
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