Nothing more could realistically have been done by Ferrari during the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix. The Dutch GP once again proved to be a bitter and challenging weekend for the Scuderia, on a circuit that dramatically highlights one of the fundamental issues with the new SF-25. Specifically, the car continues to suffer from a chronic lack of rotation, which at Zandvoort severely limits performance in both qualifying and race conditions. While some may look at Ferrari’s qualifying results and call it “good,” this is only if you consider the drivers’ ability to manage the Italian car’s inherent shortcomings. In reality, the SF-25 remains a complex and demanding machine to drive, particularly on a track like Zandvoort. When the race began, the story quickly unfolded: Lewis Hamilton retired from the race, while Charles Leclerc ultimately finished in fourth place, a result that barely reflects the challenges faced.
But let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for the Maranello team in the Dutch Grand Prix: as usual, the Ferrari drivers were seated and focused on the car in preparation for the start. After the standard pre-race concentration routine, the trackside engineers delivered the final, crucial details to both drivers before the lights went out. Just before this, the team conducted the routine checks on all the main components of the car, including the power unit, braking system, hybrid energy system, and transmission. Everything was confirmed to be in perfect working order, leaving only the wait for the lights to signal the start of the formation lap.
It is also worth noting that rain was predicted to arrive around lap 11, according to multiple weather forecasts, creating additional uncertainty for Ferrari’s strategy. For the start of the race, both Ferrari drivers opted to begin on medium compound tires, aiming to balance performance and tire longevity. The start itself went reasonably well for both cars, but it was Charles Leclerc who immediately stood out by surprising George Russell on the inside of Turn 4, seizing fifth place. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton remained in seventh, struggling more with the challenge of warming his tires to optimal temperature. Car number 16 attempted to stay as close as possible to Isack Hadjar in the Racing Bull, signaling the team’s intent to attempt an overtake.
The primary objective for Ferrari in these opening stages was clearly to overtake the French-Algerian driver, Isack Hadjar. Race engineer Bryan Bozzi worked on managing the intensity and energy of Charles Leclerc, who was particularly aggressive at this point in the race. Rain was also a topic of discussion on both Ferrari radio channels, with reports suggesting a light shower would arrive within five laps. The race for Ferrari quickly entered a temporary holding pattern as the team and drivers waited for the anticipated rainfall, making use of the DRS train to maintain pace and position.
A closer look at Charles Leclerc’s steering wheel revealed no immediate corrective actions being required. Given the slightly slower pace compared to qualifying, understeer was effectively minimized, allowing car 16 to navigate the apexes of Turns 9 and 10 more cleanly and efficiently. Lewis Hamilton, however, appeared more troubled, battling with some rear-end overheating that affected his car’s balance. Riccardo Adami, communicating over the radio, offered guidance, including advice on focus points such as optimizing exit speed from Turn 3. By lap 12, however, no significant changes in positions or pace had occurred.
Charles Leclerc opened up on the radio to express his difficulty in trying to overtake Isack Hadjar. The Racing Bulls was very competitive and fast in the current conditions, while Ferrari’s pace was simply insufficient to attempt a serious attack. No DRS advantage could compensate for the gap in speed, leaving Charles in a challenging position. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton focused on maintaining his gap to George Russell, ensuring he did not lose touch with the British driver’s Mercedes. Three laps later, engine temperatures on car 16 rose too high, forcing Charles Leclerc to adopt a lift-and-coast technique of precisely 50 meters to manage the overheating.
Lewis Hamilton makes an unforgivable mistake
Eventually, a light rain did begin to fall, although it was minimal and not enough to seriously worry the drivers. At this point, it was only affecting the third sector of the track. Approaching roughly one-third of the race distance, Ferrari began discussing the timing of their first pit stops, although the medium tires were still performing according to plan. Track positions remained mostly stable: Charles Leclerc held fifth place, Lewis Hamilton was seventh, and George Russell remained in between.
Shortly after, Lewis Hamilton reported over the radio that the only viable way to overtake would be through an undercut strategy. Adami took note and began calculating the optimal response. But before any adjustments could be implemented, the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion made a critical error and crashed into the banking at Turn 4. This unforced mistake immediately ended Lewis Hamilton’s race and prompted the deployment of the Safety Car. By that time, however, Charles Leclerc was already entering the pit lane for his stop.
This timing meant that other drivers were able to complete tire changes under double yellow flag conditions. Unfortunately, Charles Leclerc, despite executing his pit stop correctly, lost a position to George Russell, highlighting the combination of misfortune and bad timing that affected Ferrari. Charles switched to hard compound tires for the restart. Once the race resumed after five laps under the Safety Car, Charles Leclerc quickly found himself under heavy pressure from the British Mercedes. The Monegasque driver used this moment to close the gap and position himself strategically for upcoming overtaking opportunities. A brief Virtual Safety Car period followed, creating further unpredictability in the race.
Super Leclerc overtakes Russell on the sand
At the chicane, Charles Leclerc launched a decisive attack on car number 63 driven by George Russell using his DRS advantage. He carried too much speed into the corner and ran slightly wide, forcing him to place almost half of his car onto the sand to complete the maneuver, making contact with the W16 in the process. George Russell protested over the radio, but Charles Leclerc argued that the English driver had not left him sufficient room to maneuver. It was an audacious and brilliant move that allowed Charles Leclerc, after just two laps, to position himself directly behind Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bull, ready to challenge for further positions.
It is important to note that the FIA has announced an investigation into the contact between Charles Leclerc and George Russell, which adds another layer of tension to the race narrative. After a few laps of continued pressure, Ferrari’s pit wall advised Charles Leclerc to back off. Maintaining too close a distance to the Faenza car could be damaging to tire performance and operating temperatures. Patience was key, as there were still many laps remaining in the Dutch Grand Prix. By lap 44, the race stewards decided that any review of the Leclerc-Russell incident would take place only after the conclusion of the race.
During this period, Bryan Bozzi provided a detailed series of technical recommendations to optimize car performance. Adjustments included fine-tuning the differential through mid-corner phases to improve rotation and specific handling tweaks designed to prevent excessive tire degradation. While Isak Hadjar may have lacked overall pace compared to Charles Leclerc, an overtaking attempt at this stage of the race would have been impossible due to tire management constraints and the need to preserve the car’s performance for the final stages of the race.
Ferrari finishes with a double zero
With just 20 laps remaining, Bryan Bozzi returned to discussing race strategy over the radio. He suggested that Charles Leclerc consider adopting Plan C, as his tires were beginning to struggle under the conditions. On the following lap, Charles Leclerc entered the pit lane, switching to soft compound tires to cover the anticipated pit stop of Kimi Antonelli, as explained in the team communications. Returning to the track, Kimi Antonelli approached Turn 4 at high speed, and contact between the two cars became unavoidable.
The Italian collided with Charles Leclerc, causing the Monegasque to spin across the banking, forcing yet another retirement for Ferrari. This was yet another dramatic and unfortunate turn of events in an already difficult weekend. Ferrari left Zandvoort with zero points and a multitude of issues to analyze, knowing full well that the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Monza represents the most important race of the season for the Scuderia. The team will need to regroup quickly, assess the technical and strategic lessons learned, and prepare for what is arguably the pinnacle event of their Formula 1 calendar.
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