A calculated risk, a sacrificed season and a concrete hope: Ferrari is looking ahead after a difficult but necessary 2025.
Ferrari’s 2025 season was defined by a drastic decision: abandoning development of the current car earlier than planned in order to focus every available resource on the 2026 project. A choice that was already taking shape in the opening months of the year, when it became clear that the SF-25 would not be able to compete consistently for the championship.
Fred Vasseur did not hide the complexity of that decision: “We knew it would be difficult, but necessary. We had to understand what wasn’t working and prepare for the future,” explained the team principal.
The turning point came in China, with the double disqualification that highlighted the limits of the project. From that moment on, Ferrari was forced to raise the car, sacrificing performance and leaving room for its rivals to pull away.
A season sacrificed to build the future
The price paid was high, including on an emotional level. “I underestimated the psychological impact of this choice on the team, on the drivers and on myself,” Vasseur admitted.
With no aerodynamic upgrades for much of the season, Ferrari ended the 2025 campaign in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, without a single race victory for the first time since 2021. A harsh outcome, but one that was the direct result of a very precise strategy: investing everything in the new technical cycle.
Behind the disappointing results, therefore, lies deep work that is less visible but fundamental, carried out with an exclusive focus on 2026.
Hamilton, the most difficult adaptation
For Lewis Hamilton, 2025 was a year of particularly challenging adaptation. After more than twenty years in the Mercedes environment, the impact of life in Maranello proved to be more complex than expected.
“I underestimated how difficult it would be for Lewis to adapt,” Fred Vasseur admitted. “It’s not just about the car: the people change, the language changes, the processes change. Everything.”
In Formula 1, every detail counts: “If you lose a tenth because you don’t have everything under control, today that tenth becomes half a second,” he explained, recalling episodes such as Budapest, where just a few hundredths made the difference.
Towards 2026: a new opportunity
Despite everything, the atmosphere in Maranello remains positive. “The mood today is good. We are focused on 2026, we have to understand what we did wrong and learn from it,” said Fred Vasseur.
The new regulations represent a unique opportunity to start again. Ferrari has chosen to sacrifice the present in order to build the future: a risky gamble, but one that is consistent with a long-term vision.
The message is clear: Ferrari has not stopped. It has simply decided to look further ahead.
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