Ferrari disappointed a great many people in 2025, above all the expectations of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. The end of the 2024 championship had reignited hope in the beating heart of Maranello and among all Ferrari fans around the world. However, to properly understand what happened last year, in our view it is necessary to go back to the central phase of the 2024 season, the year in which the team from Maranello lost a real opportunity to win the Constructors’ Championship due to a misguided technical update. A mistake that then had serious consequences for the following season.
So close, yet so far: the story of Ferrari’s last two seasons
That the SF-24 had genuine potential was clear from the very first races. Obviously, it was not strong enough to allow Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to fight consistently against Max Verstappen, but it was competitive enough, as events showed, to aim for the Constructors’ title. The Dutch driver started the season at full speed, but among the challengers Ferrari stood out. In the first nine races of 2024, considering all the events before the Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen secured six victories, Ferrari took two wins (Carlos Sainz in Australia with Charles Leclerc completing a one-two, and Charles Leclerc in Monaco), while McLaren claimed one with Lando Norris in Miami.
At Barcelona, Ferrari introduced a substantial upgrade package that included a redesigned rear wing, micro-aerodynamic interventions around the Halo, and above all significant work involving the floor and the sidepods. Unfortunately, a major mistake was made with the new floor, which proved to be a clear step backwards for the Maranello team. From Spain to Hungary, over the course of four Grands Prix, Ferrari managed to collect just one podium finish, with Carlos Sainz in Austria, and had to deal with two races outside the points for Charles Leclerc, in Spielberg and at Silverstone.
Over the same period, at least one of Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris always managed to finish on the podium, with the peak coming in Hungary, where McLaren even secured a one-two finish. Belgium marked Ferrari’s revival. Charles Leclerc achieved two consecutive third-place finishes, followed by victory at Monza. However, by that stage the team had lost confidence in itself, while the Woking-based outfit was clearly on an upward trajectory. McLaren had started the year as the fourth force and by mid-season found itself fighting for the Constructors’ Championship.
The two teams went on to engage in a fierce battle. Lando Norris won in the Netherlands, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, Oscar Piastri triumphed in Azerbaijan, while Charles Leclerc claimed victories at Monza and Austin, and Carlos Sainz won in Mexico. Nevertheless, by that point McLaren had already laid the foundations to close out the championship as title winners and launch itself strongly towards a 2025 season as a leading contender.
Ferrari lost its opportunity both because of the error made in Spain with the floor and due to a lack of self-belief. A psychological deficit that led the team to make further incorrect decisions during the design phase of the 2025 car, preventing Ferrari from securing even a single victory throughout the entire season.
A single misguided update effectively undermined the work of two seasons. It is tempting to think that if the right choices had been made in Maranello in May 2024, not only would the SF-24 have emerged as the best car of that year, but the 2025 season would have unfolded in a very different way from the one we ultimately witnessed and analysed.
