The first free practice session of the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix has clearly highlighted the substantial performance gap that Ferrari currently has to the leading McLaren team, and not only that: the Maranello team ended up in 14th and 15th positions with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, both recording lap times that were 1.6 seconds slower than Lando Norris, who was leading on the timesheets for McLaren. This is a massive performance gap for a team of Ferrari’s stature, and it reflects the persistent and ongoing technical issues of the SF-25, even when racing on a relatively unique and demanding circuit such as Zandvoort, which is known for its fast, flowing corners, elevation changes, and tricky banked turns. Intensive and precise work will be required by the engineers and drivers alike starting from FP2 in order to attempt to close this sizeable gap, considering that, at this stage, only the Haas team is currently showing slower overall lap times than Ferrari, which highlights the critical state of the Maranello car’s competitiveness at this point in the weekend.
Now let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for the Maranello team in FP2.
A light and persistent drizzle complicates matters for Ferrari
The Ferrari cars left the pit lane running on Hard tires, a strategic choice aimed at evaluating once again the behavior and performance characteristics of the SF-25 on the hardest compound available for this particular race weekend. The sky above Zandvoort remained mostly overcast, and just before the session started, a light drizzle partially wetted certain sections of the track, making track conditions somewhat unpredictable. This situation was immediately discussed over the team radio by both drivers and their engineers, as the team sought to determine the best approach to navigate these uncertain and variable track conditions, a challenge that often requires split-second decision-making in Formula 1 free practice sessions.
The Maranello team then switched to push mode to attempt the first fast laps of the session, even though the pit wall was sending repeated communications urging the drivers to adopt a more cautious approach, balancing the need for data collection with the risk of pushing too hard on a partially damp track. After a brief moment of internal hesitation and tactical discussion, the team decided to remain on track, taking advantage of the still mostly dry asphalt in certain areas. Grip levels were limited due to the damp patches, and the decision to start on Hard tires appeared linked not only to collecting useful data on the behavior of the car with the harder compound but also to conserving more critical tire sets that would be strategically useful later in the weekend.
The primary goal in this session was to avoid consuming crucial tire sets in a practice session that, given the tricky weather and track conditions, was providing very few concrete performance references. Lewis Hamilton appeared to be more comfortable behind the wheel, driving with slightly more precision than his teammate, while radio messages from Charles Leclerc’s engineer indicated the risk of another light rain shower approaching, adding another layer of complexity to the session. After completing a single cooldown lap to allow the tires and brakes to stabilize, both drivers returned to push for faster lap times, but evaluating the overall performance of the SF-25 under these conditions remained a difficult and complex task for the team.
Traffic and instability further hinder Ferrari’s FP2 session
In addition to the variable weather conditions, the traffic on track complicated the evaluation process even further. Analysis of the telemetry data from the Ferrari steering wheels revealed noticeable instability in the handling, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton frequently struggling to consistently hit the apexes of corners, which is critical for maintaining rhythm and extracting maximum lap time. Just as the team was assessing the situation and attempting to guide their drivers through the challenges, Lance Stroll crashed into the barriers at Turn 3 while driving his Aston Martin, forcing race control to immediately display the red flag and temporarily stop the session, bringing all cars back to the pit lane.
Multiple red flags disrupt the session
After approximately ten minutes, which were needed by the track marshals to clear the debris and ensure the circuit was safe, the session was able to resume. The weather remained relatively stable, and even a brief ray of sunlight managed to filter through the clouds, momentarily improving visibility and track temperature. Despite this, both SF-25 cars remained stationary in the garage, with Lewis Hamilton using the opportunity to exit the cockpit and make adjustments while receiving feedback from the engineers. Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar was forced to retire his car due to a mechanical failure, which required the deployment of the Virtual Safety Car to safely remove his Racing Point from the track.
Half an hour into the session, Charles Leclerc returned to the circuit on Hard tires and received the explicit go-ahead from his race engineer to push and attempt competitive lap times. Shortly afterward, Lewis Hamilton rejoined the action, this time running on a set of Soft tires in an attempt to assess the car’s performance on the faster compound. Unfortunately, on his first attempt, the Briton experienced a spin, demonstrating just how challenging the conditions were for the drivers and how difficult it was to extract performance from the SF-25 at this stage of the weekend.
The conditions remained tricky, and Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami noted that Lewis Hamilton’s lap had been promising up until the error, indicating that the car had potential but that driver confidence and car behavior were still inconsistent. Charles Leclerc completed another lap on Hard tires before switching to Softs. The car seemed to show more comfort and improved handling on the softer compound, but traffic on track prevented the Monegasque driver from fully exploiting the improved grip, forcing him to complain over the radio about his position relative to other cars.
The Ferrari team reassured him that the situation was not as critical as it seemed, but overall performance remained below expectations. Lewis Hamilton ended his flying lap and slotting into sixth place on the timesheets, while the team attempted a double cooldown lap strategy to manage tire temperatures. However, the session was again interrupted by a red flag following an incident involving Alexander Albon. Although Ferrari displayed some improvement on Soft tires, the overall race pace and competitiveness of the car remained insufficient to challenge the leading teams.
Two main technical difficulties affecting the SF-25
During his best lap on Soft tires, Lewis Hamilton experienced some difficulties in Turn 1, where the front end of the SF-25 showed clear signs of instability. Small, precise steering adjustments were required to compensate for the lack of rotation and improve balance. In Turn 2, the car’s behavior appeared cleaner and more stable, a trend that continued through Turn 8. However, in the complex Turns 9 and 10, the situation deteriorated, as the rear of the car lost traction on exit, negatively affecting acceleration and forward momentum, which are essential for competitive lap times.
In contrast, the chicane section of the track was better managed by both drivers. While performance was still not perfect, the SF-25 managed to recover some of the time lost in previous corners. Overall, the lap was clearly affected by minor mistakes and instability in the central section, but it also showed signs of progress in sectors where Ferrari had previously struggled the most. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton attempted additional fast laps, but the gap to the front of the field remained substantial, leaving morale in the garage somewhat low, to say the least.
In the final six minutes of the session, Lewis Hamilton shifted focus to high-fuel runs, completing six laps on Hard tires in order to gather data on the car’s behavior under race-like conditions. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, ran three consecutive laps on Soft tires to evaluate tire degradation and handling consistency. At this stage, timing data was less relevant than understanding the overall behavior and balance of the SF-25 under various conditions and tire compounds.
The difficulties observed during FP2 appear to be linked to two main factors. The first is the SF-25’s extreme sensitivity to setup changes: the car’s handling characteristics shifted dramatically from an initial strong understeer to noticeable oversteer. This issue was particularly evident in Turns 9 and 10, where the front end appeared unresponsive despite the team’s interventions aimed at increasing aerodynamic load and improving balance.
The second issue concerns tire management. It remains unclear how significantly rear overheating contributes to excessive over-rotation, a problem affecting primarily the central sector of the Zandvoort circuit. This middle sector has again proven to be Ferrari’s most challenging area, leaving the team with high hopes that overnight setup work and detailed data analysis will provide useful insights and possible solutions in preparation for FP3 and the qualifying session tomorrow.
Overall, the session highlighted the SF-25’s ongoing struggles with front-end balance, setup sensitivity, and tire management, underscoring the need for focused engineering adjustments and careful strategy planning if Ferrari hopes to remain competitive during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, despite showing flashes of potential on certain tire compounds, will need to work closely with the engineers to address these issues and extract the maximum possible performance from the car on a demanding and unpredictable Zandvoort circuit.
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