The 2025 Formula 1 season has increasingly provided very few moments of genuine satisfaction for Ferrari. Even in instances where McLaren falters or underperforms at key races, the Scuderia has consistently failed to seize the opportunity and take advantage of the situation. The statistics for this season are extremely harsh and paint a stark picture of a team whose limitations extend far beyond the already underwhelming SF-25 race car. It is clear that the final seven races of the season must become a crucial opportunity for redemption for a team that currently appears low on motivation, lacking in energy, and struggling to demonstrate the fighting spirit that has historically been a hallmark of the Italian team.
Charles Leclerc, following the disappointment of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, took a measured approach in assessing his chances for victory with the SF-25, suggesting that winning a race would be extremely difficult under the current circumstances. He indicated that any unexpected or surprise result would be very welcome, even though it would be highly unlikely. The Monegasque driver ultimately finished ninth in Baku, and when combined with Lewis Hamilton’s eighth-place finish, it allowed Mercedes to overtake Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship standings, moving into second place and pushing the Scuderia further from its initial championship ambitions.
Mercedes collected a total of 30 points in that race, while Ferrari could only manage a meager six points. Fred Vasseur, with his well-known ability to present events dramatically and in his own narrative, argued that Ferrari had the potential to maintain pace with McLaren. However, anyone looking at the performance of the papaya-colored McLaren cars dominating so far in the 2025 season could not help but be skeptical. Lando Norris, in particular, delivered a lackluster performance in Azerbaijan, finishing seventh despite having a golden opportunity to recover crucial championship points after race leader Oscar Piastri crashed into the barriers on the opening lap. That incident should have allowed Ferrari to close the gap in the championship, but once again, they failed to capitalize.
Even though McLaren underperformed, it was other teams, not Ferrari, who reaped the rewards. Max Verstappen repeated his dominant performance from Monza, giving the impression that Red Bull, beyond having restored internal harmony following the departure of team principal Christian Horner, had also likely rediscovered the technical clarity and understanding of their RB21 chassis that had eluded them earlier in the season.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella had pointed out the developments within Red Bull, noting that Monza’s adjustments to the car setup might have unlocked new performance potential, allowing their cars to run lower and more efficiently. The former Ferrari engineer had made this prediction before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and it turned out to be remarkably accurate, reflecting the growing technical sophistication and adaptability of the Red Bull team.
The current scenario presents a Ferrari team that looks weak, unmotivated, and uncertain, particularly after arriving at the Caspian Sea with the expectation of achieving “a significant result with both drivers.” Even if Max Verstappen, with his exceptional speed and racecraft, appears to be reopening discussions about the championship—a scenario that is realistically little more than an illusion—the key point for Maranello is that Red Bull, thanks to its recent technical upgrades, including an updated front wing and a completely redesigned floor, has managed to reinvigorate even Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver contributed a solid sixth-place finish in Azerbaijan, helping Red Bull secure a total of 33 points on that race weekend, narrowing the gap to Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship to just 14 points and demonstrating the increasingly competitive nature of Milton Keynes’ operation under Laurent Mekies’ guidance.
An alarm is certainly sounding within Ferrari. So far, the Scuderia has managed to defend second place in the Constructors’ Championship largely due to the consistent efforts of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, two drivers capable of delivering points even when the car is not performing at its best. However, if Kimi Antonelli begins to regularly perform at the extraordinarily high level he is known for, and Yuki Tsunoda continues to build confidence and drive with more consistency, the Ferrari team that was seen struggling in Baku risks transforming into what some might describe as a “red shrimp,” moving backward rather than forward in the championship standings.
It is important to remember the broader context: McLaren, despite having a catastrophic result in the most recent Grand Prix, has accumulated a total of 623 points in the Constructors’ Championship so far this season. Meanwhile, the first pursuing team, Mercedes, has only 333 points, highlighting just how far ahead Woking’s squad has been in terms of performance. McLaren’s dominance, therefore, has essentially left their competitors struggling to keep pace, with Ferrari’s current form appearing particularly fragile in comparison.
Ferrari, it is worth emphasizing, entered the 2025 season with ambitions to challenge for both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. However, the SF-25 has consistently proven to be the wrong car for those ambitions, leaving the Scuderia’s high expectations to clash harshly with the realities of performance and reliability. Loic Serra, Ferrari’s technical team director, made in-race adjustments in an attempt to mitigate some of the SF-25’s deficiencies, but these corrections delivered very limited success and provided little comfort for a team in need of a significant turnaround. Ferrari has been relying on its second-place standing among the constructors as a kind of consolation, hoping to finish ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull while still searching for that first coveted victory of the season—a win that would have been celebrated like a blessing after years of close calls and near-misses.
Red Bull, of course, has already accumulated four victories in the 2025 season, largely thanks to the exceptional driving of Max Verstappen, who has consistently proven to be one of the fastest and most reliable competitors on the grid. Mercedes, meanwhile, can claim a solitary, fortunate win in Canada with George Russell. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton remain winless, forced to contend with zero victories on the season scoreboard. This excludes Hamilton’s brief, somewhat “exaggerated” success in the China sprint race, which ultimately ended in disqualification and therefore did not count towards his official tally.
It should come as no surprise that the narrow 14-point gap Ferrari experienced last year in the team championship has now ballooned to an enormous deficit of 337 points. The difference is even more striking given that the total points actually scored on track amount to only 296. This stark divergence emphasizes how much Ferrari is struggling to translate potential into results, exposing both strategic and technical shortcomings across multiple areas of the team’s operations.
This negative trend cannot and should not define Ferrari. The remaining seven races on the calendar must become a showcase for the pride and resilience of a team that has seemingly forgotten what it means to win—a situation in stark contrast to last year’s five victories and reminiscent of the near-disasters of the SF1000 in 2020 and the SF21 in 2021.
Ferrari fans cannot accept that this version of the Scuderia represents the true team. Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion whose career pedigree includes 105 victories, is unable to consistently climb the podium, despite his experience and undeniable skill. While age may play a factor, and Charles Leclerc currently holds a small two-tenths advantage in qualifying pace, the Briton is by no means “washed up” and remains capable of top-level driving performances.
Examining the historical statistics for context, Lewis Hamilton achieved 17 podiums in 2021, nine podiums in 2022, six podiums in 2023, and five podiums in 2024—all while driving for a struggling Mercedes team. The trend is clearly downward, yet the zero-podium result with the SF-25 highlights a deeper set of challenges, indicating shortcomings that extend well beyond any potential motivational issues or the physical limits of drivers.
Ultimately, the SF-25 is simply not competitive. Everyone agrees on that point. But even more concerning is that Ferrari currently lacks soul—a cohesive, fighting spirit and the ability to execute flawlessly when it matters most. Experts and insiders have suggested that the team is underperforming in terms of execution, repeatedly failing to showcase its best capabilities under pressure. If a team cannot even execute a relatively simple car swap on the final lap when only two championship points are at stake, it raises serious questions about preparation, focus, and organizational efficiency.
In the current climate, the Scuderia must ask itself a critical question: what does it truly mean to #BeFerrari in 2025? Beyond technical upgrades and driver skill, it requires pride, motivation, and a collective determination to reclaim the team’s historic reputation as a benchmark for excellence in Formula 1. The final seven races of the season offer Ferrari the chance to rediscover its lost pride, remind the world of its competitive spirit, and potentially salvage what remains of a season that, until now, has been dominated by frustration, missed opportunities, and underperformance. Only by reigniting both the heart and the soul of the team can Ferrari hope to end the 2025 season on a positive note, proving that the Scuderia still has the resilience and capability to compete at the highest level of Formula 1 racing.
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