Ferrari experienced one of its most disappointing weekends of the 2025 Formula 1 season at Zandvoort in the Netherlands. In the world of Formula 1, everything can turn upside down in just a few moments, and for the Scuderia this Dutch Grand Prix was the perfect example of how quickly things can unravel. What should have been an opportunity to collect valuable points ended in frustration and regret, with both Ferrari cars failing to finish the race. Yet, even after a painful double retirement, not everything was negative. If we dig deeper into the race analysis, there was at least one positive factor to highlight: the SF-25 showed that, over the full 300 kilometers of the Grand Prix, it had a race pace that was competitive and encouraging compared to the direct rivals.
Charles Leclerc forced to slow down to manage the SF-25
During the opening stint of the race, Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc once again showed his incredible ability to improvise and maximize opportunities. He executed a brilliant maneuver in Turn 3, diving down the inside and managing to overtake George Russell in spectacular fashion. At that point of the race, the Ferrari driver was holding a solid position, but as the laps went by, his pace was compromised. By the end of the first stint, Charles Leclerc had lost around one second per lap compared to Oscar Piastri in the McLaren. One of the main reasons for this loss of performance was the presence of Isack Hadjar ahead of him. The Racing Bulls driver created a bottleneck effect, preventing the Ferrari man from running at his natural rhythm and, more importantly, causing the SF-25 car to overheat.
This situation became especially problematic after lap 15, when Charles Leclerc started losing ground compared to the French driver. The overheating of the SF-25 not only compromised the tire temperatures but also forced the Monegasque driver to adjust his pace to protect the car from further issues. In Formula 1, small disturbances in airflow and temperature can have a major impact on performance, and Leclerc was caught in exactly that scenario.
The early part of the Grand Prix was even more complicated for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion was in constant communication with his race engineer Riccardo Adami throughout the opening laps. The Briton was struggling to keep his car under control, and his performance was noticeably slower than his teammate Charles Leclerc. In fact, Lewis Hamilton was losing nearly two-tenths of a second per lap compared to his Maranello teammate. The primary issue seemed to be related to the rear temperatures of the SF-25 single-seater, which were limiting Hamilton’s ability to accelerate effectively out of corners.
To help him recover, his engineer Riccardo Adami repeatedly gave instructions over team radio, asking the Briton to adopt a more conservative approach in Turn 8. The advice was to avoid overstressing the rear tires and instead focus on brake release in Turn 10, where better balance could be achieved. Despite these adjustments, Lewis Hamilton continued to complain about understeer when entering corners. This understeer often transitioned into excessive rotation on corner exit, a dangerous imbalance that may have directly contributed to the crash he suffered at Turn 3.
Meanwhile, at the front of the field, McLaren demonstrated its competitive strength. After Lando Norris managed to overtake Max Verstappen, the two McLaren drivers established a very similar pace. Lando Norris was only able to recover about a single second on Oscar Piastri, paying the price of around 0.15 seconds at the end of the stint. Tire wear, however, was difficult to assess. The weather conditions added another layer of complexity, as light rain repeatedly hit the circuit, washing the track and then drying again, which created inconsistent grip levels.
Ferrari, low degradation and solid tire management for Charles Leclerc’s SF-25
When the second stint of the Dutch Grand Prix began, Charles Leclerc once again demonstrated his determination and fighting spirit. The Ferrari driver managed to execute another brilliant overtake on George Russell, this time in Turn 9, a spot where such maneuvers are rarely attempted. Diving down the inside, the Monegasque regained the position he had lost due to the earlier incident involving Lewis Hamilton’s crash.
In this phase of the race, Charles Leclerc was still losing around seven-tenths of a second per lap compared to Oscar Piastri, who was comfortably managing his McLaren at the front. Nevertheless, Charles Leclerc’s pace was very similar to that of Max Verstappen, who at that stage was still stuck behind Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bulls. This comparison showed that, despite being limited by circumstances, the Ferrari had a performance level not far from the reigning world champion’s car.
When analyzing tire degradation, car number 16 did not suffer from any major drop-offs. The pace remained stable, with a tendency to improve as the stint progressed. This was one of the most encouraging aspects of Ferrari’s race. It indicated that the SF-25, when free from traffic, could manage its tires effectively over a longer distance.
Isack Hadjar also confirmed his own strength in the second stint, with consistent lap times that eventually helped him secure a podium finish after Lando Norris’ retirement. Meanwhile, Andrea Kimi Antonelli also produced a strong performance. After overtaking Alexander Albon and exchanging positions with his Mercedes teammate, the Italian managed to reduce the gap to Charles Leclerc by 2.3 seconds in just 10 laps.
The young Italian driver was then instructed by his Mercedes engineers to maintain a steady rhythm without putting too much stress on the tires, particularly as he was trying to close the gap to the Ferrari ahead. Kimi Antonelli, however, decided to go for an aggressive strategy by pitting earlier than expected in an attempt to undercut Charles Leclerc. Ferrari’s pit wall responded immediately, but this decision created disagreement between Charles Leclerc and the team. The Monegasque driver was clearly not happy with the timing of the pit stop. Unfortunately, this entire scenario ended abruptly when Charles Leclerc was forced to retire after contact on track, bringing an end to what was already a challenging race weekend, especially given his starting position further down the grid.
Lando Norris hit by reliability problems, McLaren loses a near-perfect weekend
In the final part of the Dutch Grand Prix, McLaren’s weekend took an unexpected and bitter turn. Lando Norris, who had been in contention for another strong finish, suddenly suffered a reliability issue that forced him to stop his car on track. For McLaren, this was an incredibly painful blow, as the British team had been demonstrating an extremely dominant race pace compared to its rivals. Everything had been pointing toward a near-perfect weekend, but Formula 1 once again showed how unpredictable it can be.
At this stage, it is not yet fully understood what caused the failure on Lando Norris’ car. The McLaren team has promised to provide a detailed explanation, possibly during the official FIA press conference scheduled for Thursday, or alternatively in Friday’s technical briefings. What is clear is that without the mechanical problem, McLaren would likely have scored a double podium finish and perhaps even more.
For Ferrari, the Dutch Grand Prix ended with a bitter taste, but there are lessons to be drawn. The SF-25 demonstrated that, on pure race pace, it has the potential to fight consistently with the front-runners. The challenge now is to eliminate the operational mistakes, avoid contact, and maximize the performance of a car that, when everything runs smoothly, has shown it can deliver competitive lap times across a full Grand Prix distance.
Leave a Reply