Ferrari SF-24 vs SF-25: how Lewis Hamilton’s results and disqualifications have hurt the team. Ferrari’s SF-25 has underperformed compared to the SF-24.

The Ferrari SF-25 has been struggling far more than its predecessor, the SF-24. A direct comparison between the two Formula 1 cars highlights not only the drop in performance of the 2025 machine but also how much Lewis Hamilton’s results—and other factors—have contributed to Ferrari’s current situation.

We have now officially reached the halfway point of the 2025 Formula 1 season. With the championship entering the summer break, it is the ideal time to take stock of the first part of the year by revisiting the data from 2024. When we compare the Ferrari SF-24 with the current SF-25, it is clear that there has been a significant step backwards. This decline is due not only to the characteristics and competitiveness of the car itself but also to the difficulties experienced by seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, as well as a series of other setbacks.

SF-24 vs SF-25: what has changed?
The comparison is straightforward: the same number of Grands Prix have been contested, and the same number of Sprint weekends have taken place. Yet, in 2024 Ferrari had scored 342 points by this stage, whereas in 2025 the tally stands at just 260—a drop of no less than 82 points. Considering the high expectations after the winter, and especially remembering how the previous season ended with Ferrari finishing only 14 points ahead of McLaren, most observers expected a stronger campaign this year.

Where has the biggest loss been felt? One of the clearest weaknesses of the SF-25 so far has been its lack of victories. The Maranello team is currently the only top team yet to stand on the top step of the podium in 2025. This is in stark contrast to the previous season, when, by the summer break, Ferrari had already celebrated two wins—Carlos Sainz’s triumph in Australia and Charles Leclerc’s victory in Monaco. On his home streets this year, Charles Leclerc narrowly missed out on pole position, which could very well have led to another win in front of his home crowd.

Another major problem, and perhaps the most damaging, has been the number of podium finishes. In the first half of the 2024 season, Sainz and Leclerc combined for an impressive 11 podiums. This year, however, Ferrari has managed just 5, and apart from the Monaco result, all of them have been third-place finishes.

Points have also been lost due to the costly double disqualification in Shanghai, which stripped Ferrari of 18 points, plus an additional 3 points for fastest laps in races that have not been achieved this year.

But perhaps one of the most significant weaknesses has been what could be called the “second driver” factor—though applying that term to a seven-time Formula 1 world champion seems almost unfair. Aside from his victory in the Chinese Sprint race, Lewis Hamilton has not managed to step onto the podium in a Grand Prix. His best result so far has been a fourth-place finish, which is far below expectations for a driver of his calibre. By contrast, Carlos Sainz, now racing for Williams in 2025 but who was part of the Ferrari squad last season, had been a consistent performer capable of securing crucial points and podiums.

Below is a clearer recap of the situation: