Ferrari SF25 struggles in F1 Australia qualifying: was Toto Wolff right?

Ferrari SF25 struggles in F1 Australia qualifying: was Toto Wolff right?. Toto Wolff had called Ferrari the fourth-best team.

Toto Wolff (Mercedes), Bruno Famin (Alpine), Frederic Vasseur (Ferrari)

“The race pace may be good, but qualifying has started as a nightmare.” With these words, Italian journalist Carlo Vanzini commented on Ferrari’s performance in Australian GP qualifying, with the team securing only 7th and 8th on the starting grid for tomorrow’s race at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne—almost confirming Toto Wolff’s harsh prediction.

The Mercedes team principal, ahead of the season’s first weekend, had bluntly referred to Ferrari as the fourth-best team. Based on what was seen in Melbourne and their fourth-row result, Toto Wolff was absolutely right.

Ferrari struggles in Australia: Is the wet setup entirely to blame?
After pre-season optimism, Ferrari was brought back to reality with a harsh wake-up call in Australian GP qualifying. A fourth-row start and over six-tenths off pole position immediately exposed the situation. In the race, Leclerc and Hamilton will even start behind a VCARB and a Williams—not what was expected from the SF-25.

The qualifying performance certainly surprised even Ferrari itself. After analyzing the race pace in practice, such major struggles were not anticipated. The third sector at Albert Park was a disaster for the Maranello team, which could be a worrying sign for the upcoming races.

“Clearly, something major went wrong,” Carlos Vanzini added while speaking to SkySport. It remains to be seen what happened to Ferrari, as a wet setup alone might not be enough to explain the seven-tenths gap to McLaren. Additionally, Albert Park should have been a favorable track for Ferrari, making such a poor result all the more shocking.

Tomorrow, fans will have their alarms set for 5:00 AM Central European Standard Time as the formation lap kicks off the first race of the 2025 Formula 1 season. With rain in the forecast, anything can happen, but one thing is certain: on a tricky track, driver skill will matter more than car setup or outright performance. An exciting race awaits.

Mar 15, 2025David Carter

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Comments: 1

Egroj

1 month ago

From last year qualifying:
Red bull improved 0,5s (Media considered it was not a very good car and they were having some problems)
Mercedes (Media considered it was not a very big step, but from last year they improved 1,2s)
MCLaren (Media considered a big improvment on pair with Ferrarri, but they improved 1,5s!)
Ferrari(Media was considering big gains, but only 0,5s was achieved)

So the bad Red Bull and the big improvement of Ferrari were more or less the same….but Red Bull was already pole seater.
At Bahrein on the afternoon of the second day, race simulations were indicating what was going to happen rigth now in qualification….But we heard Ferrari was heavily loaded, mapping engine restrictions, bla bla bla.
Telemetry is showing clearly less aerodinamic load, which means tomorrow the race can be even worst since we have rain…..I wonder if they had to change the ride heigth….??? What ever the reason Ferrari is unable to solve a chronic problem from these last years…Good engine, good chassis but fragile aerodinamic. ANd we still ask why it was a mistake not to hire Adrian Newey because of arrogance….If this gap is to be confirmed on the next few races, maybe is better to shift development for next year car. One think is for sure the Mc Laren gap will allow them to shift early on in this season…so can afford to win this and the next season. Quo vadis Ferrari?

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