Ferrari: is the situation really serious? Rivals have no doubts about SF-25 potential | Australian GP. Ferrari disappoints in Australian GP qualifying, but rivals have no doubts.

We have repeated several times that the Melbourne weekend represented an opportunity to truly understand the real hierarchy on the grid. And after Friday at the Australian Grand Prix, it seemed like a two-way battle, with McLaren and Ferrari ready to fight for pole position in the first qualifying session of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

However, the track told a different story, with the Maranello team having to settle for the fourth row at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, with a seven-tenths gap between Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc sparking various controversies among Ferrari fans.

Rival teams have no doubts about the SF-25 potential
The situation in Maranello may not be as bad as it seems. Both Ferrari drivers and the Team Principal reiterated this in their post-qualifying statements. The direct rivals of the Italian team share this view, as both Toto Wolff and Andrea Stella weighed in on the matter.

“I don’t take today’s performance as a reference. I think they are much closer than what it might seem by looking at the Q3 gap,” said the McLaren boss.

“I don’t think this result reflects their real value,” were the words of Toto Wolff.

To understand the true potential of the SF-25, it will probably take a few more races. The new car from Maranello features several innovations compared to the one that battled McLaren for the 2024 Constructors’ title. This is why Ferrari’s engineers and drivers need time to fully understand the car’s limits and strengths.