During the 2024–2025 winter break, when Formula 1 fans imagined the anticipated on-track rivalry between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, the expectation was a thrilling duel marked by pole positions and race victories. However, the 2025 Formula 1 season has instead turned into yet another bitter pill for the Italian side to swallow. The 222 points accumulated so far in the Constructors’ Championship appear disheartening when compared to the 302 points scored last year, particularly since the optimism for 2025 had been fueled by an excellent second half of the 2024 season.
This disappointing scenario has pushed the internal battle between the two Ferrari drivers into the background. Instead, the focus has shifted toward recovery efforts from Ferrari’s Sporting Management division. A significant part of that recovery plan is centered around the long-awaited new rear suspension system, which made its debut at the Mugello circuit a few days ago. Ferrari now hopes to return to a competitive level in most races from now until the season finale in Abu Dhabi, just as it did less than twelve months ago following the mechanical upgrades introduced at Spa-Francorchamps and aerodynamic improvements unveiled in Monza and Austin for the SF-24.
It is no secret that both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are natural-born winners. While the Briton’s record speaks for itself, the Monegasque driver has consistently demonstrated his ability to extract maximum performance from the car when it allows him to fight for top positions. For this reason, the internal battle between the two Ferrari teammates could ignite again in the second half of the season.
The Comparison: Hamilton on the Rise Since Spielberg, While Leclerc Seems to Struggle in Qualifying
The story of the first part of the 2025 Formula 1 season for the Ferrari pair has been characterized by Charles Leclerc’s strength during race stints. It was not until the British Grand Prix at Silverstone that Lewis Hamilton managed to be faster than his teammate over a full race distance. This result seemed unimaginable at the start of the season, particularly considering Lewis Hamilton’s strong Sunday performances in 2024 when he was still paired with George Russell at Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc’s difficulties at the Silverstone circuit in wet conditions were closely linked to his aggressive car setup choices. Telemetry data confirmed that Ferrari suffered from traction issues compared to its rivals, and the Monegasque’s car in particular struggled more than Lewis Hamilton’s. After twelve Grands Prix, Charles Leclerc finally experienced a truly difficult weekend at Silverstone—his first significant setback after an otherwise consistent season. Due to the inherent limitations of the SF-25, both Ferrari drivers have been forced to make considerable setup compromises, especially in qualifying. In that discipline, the 27-year-old driver still holds an 8–4 advantage in head-to-head battles with an average gap of 0.15 seconds in his favor.
However, in race conditions—where the Ferrari SF-25 often becomes more competitive, particularly in slower sectors—Charles Leclerc’s dominance becomes more pronounced. He leads 10–2 in race pace comparisons with an average advantage of over two-tenths of a second per lap. When compared to Lewis Hamilton’s previous intra-team battles with George Russell at Mercedes, the numbers confirm what many already suspected: Charles Leclerc’s raw speed is beyond question.
Recent weekends have brought some positive surprises for Ferrari in terms of car performance, and there have also been encouraging signs of progress from Lewis Hamilton. Data reveals that the first half of the season can be divided into three distinct phases for the two Ferrari drivers.
The Challenges of the SF-25: A Car That Tests Both Drivers
The SF-25’s inherent limitations have been a consistent theme across all the races this year and help explain both drivers’ setup choices and resulting struggles. Despite being designed to have a strong front end, the SF-25 still suffers from persistent understeer in qualifying—an issue that has plagued Ferrari’s ground-effect cars since the 2022 Silverstone and French Grand Prix updates. The rear end also fails to provide either driver with the confidence they need.
In the early races of the season, both Ferrari drivers began by using more conventional setup configurations. During this phase, Charles Leclerc maintained a consistent edge of around 0.15 seconds over his teammate in both qualifying and race conditions. Starting from the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka and even more so from the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir, Charles Leclerc chose what he described as a more “aggressive” path in terms of car setup in an effort to extract more potential from the SF-25.
In May, the Monegasque driver explained that the SF-25 was more difficult to drive than its predecessors. He noted that the car was very front-end-focused, making it particularly tricky to handle during qualifying when drivers are pushing to the absolute limit. This was clearly reflected in the data: from the Bahrain Grand Prix onward, Charles Leclerc increased his race pace advantage over Lewis Hamilton by another tenth of a second. However, in qualifying, the improvement was more modest and the gap between the two remained noticeable. Charles Leclerc’s unusual errors during the final laps of Q3 in Montreal and Silverstone served as further evidence of just how challenging it is to drive the SF-25 when trying to extract maximum performance. The car continues to struggle to bring the tyres into the optimal window at key moments, unlike its rivals.
Despite these challenges, Charles Leclerc’s approach has paid off with four podium finishes, making it a net positive choice.
Hamilton’s Response Since Spielberg: A Step Forward Thanks to the New Floor
In recent weeks, Lewis Hamilton’s response has coincided with the introduction of a new floor at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg. This upgrade helped to widen the car’s performance window and made the SF-25 more forgiving to drive. As a result, some previously hidden potential was unlocked, and Hamilton has moved closer to Leclerc’s level.
Before the recent updates, telemetry revealed that the Briton was struggling particularly in high-speed corners and in mid-to-low speed sections with elevation changes. This level of difficulty had not been seen in his recent battles with George Russell, and it may partially be explained by the technical setup choices on car number 44. Lewis Hamilton’s SF-25 ran with a front end that was less loaded, leading to difficulties in high-speed sections and a clear lack of confidence in the car’s behavior. However, his more stable rear end setup allowed him to be more competitive in slower corners.
Telemetry comparisons between the two Ferrari drivers show a key difference in off-throttle behavior: Lewis Hamilton is significantly quicker to get back on the accelerator. Charles Leclerc, by contrast, with his very aggressive front-end setup, sacrifices rear-end stability, which puts him at a disadvantage when exiting slow corners, particularly during qualifying.
The updated floor introduced at Spielberg has also allowed Lewis Hamilton to move the car’s balance forward—something that has been confirmed by Jerome D’Ambrosio, who stated that the seven-time Formula 1 world champion has recently begun working in the same direction as Charles Leclerc, setting up the car with a slight oversteer bias and making it work to his advantage.
In medium- and low-speed corners, where Charles Leclerc had made substantial improvements from Sakhir to Montreal, Lewis Hamilton has become competitive again, performing at a level similar to his early-season form and closing the gap to car number 16 overall.
Spielberg, being a short track, and Silverstone, one of Lewis Hamilton’s historically strong circuits, were promising signs. However, further confirmation is still needed at upcoming races such as Spa-Francorchamps and Budapest, which are two circuits where the British driver has generally performed well. Nonetheless, resolving the current rear-end instability issues could provide both Ferrari drivers with a more stable platform in high-speed corners, an area that remains the team’s biggest weakness in 2025.
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