Fréd Vasseur had not minced words at the end of the Monaco GP, openly admitting that Ferrari was looking to the Spanish GP with hopes of achieving a potential performance reset. A restart to the season triggered by the FIA’s clampdown on front wing flexibility, which came into effect precisely in Barcelona. This hope, meant to help put behind a disastrous start to the season, ultimately remained just that—hope—since the hierarchy seen at the ninth round of the 2025 season proved to be virtually identical to that seen since the beginning of the year. The Scuderia, which has fluctuated between being the third or fourth force on the grid, confirmed this status once again on Spanish soil, securing a lucky podium with Charles Leclerc (third thanks to race incidents—otherwise he would have been fourth) and a mediocre seventh place with Lewis Hamilton, who finished behind even Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber.
Same pecking order
In short, the competitive picture remained unchanged, perhaps slightly improved in terms of the gaps. A stalemate, then, which the drivers were already aware of. Since the lead-up to the weekend, they had worked to tone down expectations and scale back the hype that followed the strong Monaco GP, bringing everything back to reality and avoiding false illusions of a hoped-for—but unlikely—turnaround. Their caution was confirmed by the outcome, which contradicted the fleeting optimism that had surfaced during FP1 (where the SF-25 appeared quite competitive), only to fade quickly as the race approached. The Italian car once again proved slow and unpleasant to drive, only capable of battling Mercedes and clearly trailing McLaren and Red Bull—regardless of strategy.
Lewis Hamilton exaggerates on the radio
Judging solely by the result, Ferrari technically met its pre-race objective, though not entirely on merit, while still showing familiar difficulties both in relation to rivals and in tyre management and behaviour. A familiar story that once again forced the drivers to endure a difficult race—just look at what happened to Lewis Hamilton. After running in fifth for most of the 66 laps, he suffered a steep drop in the final stages, finishing sixth, even behind the previously uncompetitive Sauber. A collapse that clearly did not sit well with Sir Lewis, who used striking—if not excessive—language over the radio after the race to describe his SF-25’s behaviour.
Adami: “It’s P7.”
Hamilton: “Yeah, unbelievable mate. There’s something wrong with this car. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen.”
