The Austin weekend began better than expected for Scuderia Ferrari. The Maranello team ended the Sprint Race in fourth and fifth position, with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Charles Leclerc, partly thanks to the first-lap chaos that involved the McLarens, Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg. Both Ferrari drivers admitted they would work overnight to put the SF-25 in a better operating window for qualifying and the main race, as both had a noticeably stronger feeling with the car compared to Friday.
Q1: A more stable SF-25
Even before the green light appeared at the end of the pit lane, the Ferraris were already waiting, ready to start the session. For the opening run, the team decided to fit used Softs on car number 16 and used Mediums on car number 44. The session was immediately interrupted when Isack Hadjar lost control of his Racing Bulls at Turn 6, crashing into the barriers and bringing out the red flag.
The stoppage was brief, lasting less than ten minutes, giving the marshals time to remove the car and repair the barriers. When the session resumed, Charles Leclerc returned to the track on a new set of Softs, while Lewis Hamilton chose to remain in the garage rather than wait at the end of the pit lane. Once the laps got underway, both Ferrari drivers switched into race mode and immediately placed themselves near the top of the standings. The car’s balance already looked improved compared to the previous day.
Some of the changes introduced before qualifying seemed to have given the SF-25 greater stability, particularly through the rapid direction changes in the first sector. After a short stop in the pits, both drivers went back out on fresh Soft tyres and completed their laps cleanly, comfortably progressing into Q2. Their performance confirmed the step forward Ferrari had made. Eliminated in Q1 were Bortoleto, Ocon, Stroll, Albon and Hadjar.
Q2: Tyres finally working in the right window
It appeared that a stiffer front end had improved the car’s stability and precision during corner entry, although it also made rotation slightly more difficult in certain turns. Judging by the improvement seen in the final sector, where Turn 16 was no longer a weak point, it’s plausible that both axles were softened slightly to achieve better overall balance.
The tyres also seemed to perform more consistently, reaching their ideal temperature window more easily, which improved grip across the entire lap. Both drivers went out on new Soft compounds for their next runs, confirming the positive feeling with the car. Charles Leclerc set the second-fastest time behind Max Verstappen, despite a few small errors between Turns 11 and 12.
Lewis Hamilton completed a very solid lap, ending up just 0.032s behind his teammate. After a brief pit stop, both Ferraris returned to the track for another attempt. There was still some room for improvement in how the car handled a few specific corners, but overall, the SF-25 was now activating the tyres properly and keeping them in the right working range. The lap times remained strong, and both drivers comfortably advanced to Q3. Eliminated in this phase were Hulkenberg, Lawson, Tsunoda, Gasly and Colapinto.
Q3: A transformed and competitive Ferrari
Then came the decisive stage. From the Sprint qualifying session, Ferrari engineers had identified two main areas where performance was lacking, and the team had clearly worked well to close that gap. The Scuderia immediately sent both cars out for Q3, with Leclerc and Hamilton lining up early in the pit lane, following the same warm-up procedure that had proven effective throughout the day.
The first attempt, however, didn’t go as planned. Leclerc was on a promising lap until a spin in the final sector completely ruined it. The Monegasque driver calmly returned to the pits, refocusing for his final run. Hamilton, too, made a small mistake by running wide at Turn 1, invalidating his time. Both drivers knew their next attempt would decide everything.
After a short break, the two Ferraris went back out for their final laps. Leclerc’s second lap wasn’t flawless, but it was enough to secure third place on the grid — a strong and encouraging result that highlighted Ferrari’s steady progress. Hamilton delivered another consistent lap, finishing fifth and just a tenth behind his teammate. Both drivers had room for slight improvement, but the overall picture was positive: compared to the previous day, Ferrari’s step forward was undeniable, proving that the overnight work paid off and that the SF-25 is finally finding its rhythm in Austin.
And you? What do you think about Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s performance on Saturday in Austin? Let us know with a comment at the end of the article or on our social media channels: Facebook Group / Facebook Page / Instagram / X (former Twitter) and TikTok.
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