Ferrari under pressure: the tension is sky-high, the team struggles, and Charles Leclerc shows frustration
At the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final Formula 1 weekend before the summer break, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur had every reason to celebrate. His contract renewal with the Scuderia was official, and optimism surrounded Maranello. The French manager looked ahead to September with confidence, expressing his ambition to “win some races before the end of the year” and close the season on a positive trajectory, recovering from the difficulties that had marked the start of the championship. With no victories yet, the only certainty seemed to be the solid second place in the Constructors’ Championship—well behind a seemingly untouchable and dominant McLaren.
However, September brought a harsh reality check. Since Formula 1 resumed at Zandvoort, Ferrari has collected only 38 points across four Grands Prix, ranking as merely the fourth-best team behind Red Bull, who lead the post-summer performance chart with 96 points, McLaren with 91, and Mercedes with 89. This dramatic downturn pushed the Scuderia down to third in the Constructors’ standings, surrendering second place to Toto Wolff’s team, while Red Bull dangerously closed the gap to just eight points. It was a sharp decline that completely contradicted the expectations of mid-season, when the much-anticipated new suspension system was supposed to solve at least part of the SF-25’s structural weaknesses and guide the project toward its first victories on track.
Instead, the problems have not disappeared. On the contrary, since returning from the summer break, Ferrari has failed to reach the podium in any race. Meanwhile, direct rivals Mercedes and Red Bull have managed to extract consistent performance from their cars and capitalize on every opportunity. Max Verstappen’s team has even re-entered contention for the Drivers’ Championship, a scenario that would have seemed implausible earlier in the year. In stark contrast, Ferrari finds itself navigating through turbulent waters—both on and off the track.
Team principal Frédéric Vasseur continues to downplay the crisis, insisting that the disappointing results are due to isolated issues rather than deeper structural problems. “It’s frustrating that in the last two weekends, in Baku and then in Singapore, we haven’t been able to extract the full potential of the car,” he explained, maintaining that Ferrari still has the technical foundation to fight at the top. His words, however, stand in contrast to the growing unease within the paddock and the increasingly evident lack of confidence among the drivers and engineers.
Lewis Hamilton, trying to inject some positivity into the team’s mood, published a motivational message on his social media accounts after the Singapore Grand Prix. “The media headlines only tell part of the story—the part where things go wrong,” he wrote. “But what I’ve focused on over the last few months is the other story—the one about how this team reacts when things don’t go our way.” The British driver, known for his mental resilience and leadership, wanted to remind fans and colleagues alike that Ferrari’s strength lies in its capacity to rebuild from adversity.
Yet, the tone within Maranello is far from harmonious. Charles Leclerc’s comments have painted a much more realistic and somber picture of the situation. Now in his seventh season with Ferrari, the Monegasque driver didn’t mince words when assessing the current competitive order. “Red Bull has made a step forward and is now on the same level as McLaren. Mercedes is also there, at a similar level to McLaren and Red Bull. And then there’s us. It almost feels like we’re just passengers in the car and can’t really extract anything more from it.”
Charles Leclerc’s statements reveal a worrying reality: Ferrari’s performance stagnation seems more profound than ever, with the SF-25 still struggling to find consistency and balance. What’s even more alarming is the internal atmosphere in Maranello. Rumors suggest growing friction between departments within the Racing Division, with engineers and managers pointing fingers over who bears responsibility for the failed updates and disappointing race results.
The situation raises serious concerns about Ferrari’s long-term trajectory, particularly with the 2026 regulation changes on the horizon. The lack of a unified technical and strategic vision could become a critical weakness just when Formula 1 enters a new era of power units and aerodynamic concepts. For Charles Leclerc, whose dream has always been to bring Ferrari back to the top, patience might be running thin. His frustration has become increasingly visible during race weekends, both over the radio and in the paddock. The Monegasque knows that his career prime years are slipping away without the success he had hoped to achieve with the Scuderia.
Lewis Hamilton’s case is slightly different but equally pressing. At 40 years old, the seven-time world champion knows that his time in Formula 1 cannot last indefinitely. His arrival at Ferrari was meant to be the start of a new chapter—one filled with redemption and the pursuit of an eighth world title. But to achieve that, Ferrari must offer him a competitive car capable of fighting at the front. Anything less would make his late-career move to Maranello look like a miscalculated gamble.
With tensions escalating and expectations unmet, Ferrari faces one of its most critical moments in recent years. The dream of closing 2025 with victories now seems distant, replaced by the immediate necessity of avoiding a humiliating fourth place in the Constructors’ standings. What was once a season filled with hope and ambition risks turning into a bitter reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in Formula 1. Winning again in 2026 may be the only possible cure for a crisis that now feels endless.
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