A stunning development at Imola as Ferrari fails to make it past Q2 in qualifying, with Charles Leclerc visibly in disbelief: the SF-25 on soft tyres could not compete with Aston Martin on used mediums.
An unexpected and, in many ways, sudden elimination: Q2 at Imola saw both Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton knocked out, unable to match the pace of the two Aston Martins on medium tyres. The red cars from Maranello returned to the pits dejectedly after a thoroughly disappointing second attempt, with both drivers appearing shocked and disoriented. For the first time in history, Ferrari failed to reach Q3 at their home circuit in Imola.
The Santerno circuit was bursting with energy, with fans singing for their local heroes—Antonelli, Leclerc, and Hamilton. But all the passion in the world couldn’t deliver speed over a single lap, and both SF-25s failed to deliver in front of the Romagna crowd. It was a bleak Saturday for the Prancing Horse, with the Q2 chequered flag sealing Charles and Lewis’s fate and leaving fans and drivers alike bewildered.
The final qualifying attempt by the Ferraris brought no improvement. Hamilton went first, then Leclerc, but neither managed to better their time despite using a fresh set of soft tyres—underscoring Ferrari’s continuing struggle to extract performance on a single lap. Behind the two Ferrari drivers, still on the cusp when the flag fell, Gasly and both Aston Martin drivers launched their attempts. Notably, both British cars chose used medium tyres for their final laps—and the gamble paid off.
Ferrari slow on softs: Aston Martin stuns with mediums
At the end of Q2, Sainz claimed the session’s fastest time, seemingly mocking his former team, which found itself in serious difficulty. The two Ferraris looked vulnerable as the Aston Martins improved their sector times, edging the red cars perilously close to elimination. Then Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso crossed the line, and the knockout became a reality.
Charles Leclerc and Hamilton missed out on Q3 by less than a tenth of a second. The disappointment was clear: despite running on new soft tyres, the Ferraris couldn’t compete with the Aston Martins, who went through on the supposedly slower medium compound. Once again, Maranello failed to prepare the tyres properly for a crucial qualifying lap, although tyre management at Imola appears to be a struggle for many teams.
Leclerc’s stunned team radio: Is Imola the SF-25’s ultimate failure?
Ferrari out in Q2 at their home Grand Prix has sparked early criticism. While the race is yet to be run, the Imola performance already feels like a rejection of Ferrari’s 2025 project, despite encouraging race pace shown in earlier sessions. Speaking to Sky,Charles Leclerc didn’t search for excuses: “We have to apologise to all the fans,” he admitted after qualifying. He had already reacted with disbelief over team radio during Q2: “Oh my God… Oh my God, oh my God, my God…”
Lewis Hamilton, too, couldn’t explain the disappointing lap over the radio: “Sorry guys. For some reason, I just couldn’t improve.” The two Ferrari drivers will start the Grand Prix from 11th and 12th on the grid.
Leave a Reply