The final week before the United States Grand Prix began with intense speculation around Ferrari. Rumors had circulated about the possible arrival of Christian Horner to replace Frédéric Vasseur, but the team quickly moved to deny them and reaffirm its support for the French manager. Despite this, recent performances have been disappointing, marking what has so far been a frustrating and forgettable season for the Maranello-based outfit.
Hamilton leads the way on hard tyres
With the Sprint format in place this weekend, the drivers had only one hour to understand their cars’ behavior and translate simulator data into on-track feedback. Both Ferrari drivers went out early on the hard compound tyres. The air temperature reached 29°C, with the track surface exceeding 40°C. The session began cautiously, as the asphalt still lacked rubber and grip was limited.
From the first laps, aerodynamic tests were carried out with a closed rear wing configuration to collect data on drag resistance. The pace was modest, but understeer appeared evident, especially in the first sector and through the slower corners. Charles Leclerc asked via radio for a front wing adjustment, seeking more grip and precision during corner entry.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton stayed out and accumulated laps, appearing more comfortable with his car under these early conditions. As Leclerc returned for another attempt, traffic on track began to increase. From the Mercedes pit wall, engineers instructed Hamilton to adjust his brake release in the second sector to improve corner entry stability.
On his flying lap, Leclerc pushed hard, but the SF-25 showed instability at the rear. The front end turned in precisely, yet the rear struggled to follow through the fast, sweeping corners of the first sector. The rotation issue persisted, likely due to suboptimal tyre temperatures. His race engineer highlighted the most critical corners: turns 8, 9, 12, and 15.
The balance still isn’t there
Hamilton continued to build confidence, maintaining a solid rhythm and better control of the rear. Only in turn 19 did he receive a brief warning for entering too fast, costing him speed on exit. Leclerc, still dissatisfied with the balance, backed off to prepare for another push lap.
The first stint showed just how quickly the track was evolving. Getting the tyres into the right temperature window was crucial for grip. Over the radio, Leclerc and his engineer discussed traction and mid-corner speed. Charles gradually improved and began to approach his teammate’s times. From the Ferrari pit wall, engineer Bryan Bozzi suggested a different brake map to stabilize the rear axle.
A minor software glitch was also reported but quickly fixed by resetting a parameter. Hamilton then pushed harder and set the provisional fastest time, helped by a more aggressive engine mode. Leclerc, however, had to abort another lap due to grip issues. Shortly after, a red flag stopped the session, forcing everyone back into the pits for an unplanned break.
Race pace simulation on hard tyres
For the second part of the session, both drivers stayed on hard tyres. The focus remained on setup adjustments after a small change to the front-end stiffness. Leclerc struggled particularly in the final part of the “snake” — the fast section through turns 7, 8, and 9 — where the rear tended to lose traction under acceleration. The Monegasque driver tried to understand how far he could push before reaching the car’s limit.
Lewis Hamilton concentrated on refining his driving line corner by corner, analyzing where he could extract more time. From the garage, detailed instructions arrived on how to manage the differential mid-corner and braking phase. After a few laps of data collection, the team moved on to a race pace simulation with a heavier fuel load compared to the first stint.
Looking at the times — even without knowing the exact fuel loads — Ferrari’s pace appeared competitive. Lando Norris was slightly faster, while Oscar Piastri’s McLaren stayed close, and George Russell’s Mercedes was around two tenths slower per lap. The high-fuel run lasted roughly five laps before both Ferrari drivers returned to the pits to prepare for the final part of the session.
Gearbox failure ends Leclerc’s session early
For the last runs, Ferrari opted for more performant tyres to assess the SF-25’s behavior with higher grip levels. Both cars received a slight increase in front-end load before returning to the track. The two Ferraris went out on medium tyres, indicating that the team likely plans to use this compound in qualifying.
However, Charles Leclerc’s session quickly turned problematic. His gearbox locked up, forcing him to return to the pits. Meanwhile, Hamilton completed his flying lap and recorded a solid time before slowing down for two cool-down laps. With five minutes remaining, Leclerc’s car was retired for good as the transmission issue couldn’t be fixed on-site.
Lewis Hamilton asked over the radio whether the medium tyre was really the right choice, given that most drivers were running on the soft compound. The team replied calmly, assuring him that they were satisfied with the progress made. On his final run, Hamilton couldn’t improve his lap time, leaving some questions about Ferrari’s strategy, which might have been aimed at saving a set of soft tyres for later. Overall, the SF-25 still showed a balance that needs refinement heading into qualifying.
