Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, after having initially defended the team principal when articles questioning him emerged, have resumed sharply criticizing a Ferrari that is not capable of winning. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is once again calling for the Maranello team to redirect its resources to next year.
The British driver remarked that it was evident other teams were bringing aerodynamic updates, while he could not understand why Ferrari had not introduced any yet. The former Mercedes man believed one would arrive very soon, at least, he hoped so. He explained that the prevailing mindset within the team was that many internal changes were needed and hinted that a lot was happening behind the scenes, even if he could not openly share the details. From his perspective, the Ferrari driver said it was essential to lay the groundwork for the future, since the Maranello team was not competing for the 2025 Formula 1 championship. He stressed that the team needed to ensure next year’s car would be highly competitive from the very first race, adding that too much time should not be wasted focusing on the current season.
Lewis Hamilton’s point is clear and direct: stop wasting time on the disappointing SF-25 car and channel all efforts toward project 678, the 2026 car that will usher in the regulatory revolution.
In reality, Ferrari is completing development of the much-anticipated rear suspension and new floor, which, according to expectations, should provide a turning point in the 2025 Formula 1season, allowing the Italian side to at least fight to be the second-best team until the end. Right now, the team’s potential places it between the third and fourth position in the technical hierarchy.
After the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend in Imola, the Ferrari management requested that the aerodynamic technical updates be brought forward, possibly skipping some tests on the dynamic rig, preferring to take some risks to get the new parts on track as soon as possible. The facts show that this urgency has not been reflected in actions. Mercedes, for example, debuted a new rear suspension in Imola. It did not perform well at first and was absent for two races, the Monaco Grand Prix and the Spanish Grand Prix, but returned in Canada: George Russell won, and Kimi Antonelli made the podium.
This shows that it is possible to turn around a season dominated by McLaren: it is not just Red Bull and Max Verstappen interrupting the MCL39’s hegemony, now Mercedes has joined in too. Among the top teams, sadly only Ferrari is missing. In Austria, the SF-25 single-seater should find a track more suited to its characteristics: the 4.318-kilometre Red Bull Ring in Spielberg is circuit with medium-speed corners where the red car could defend itself better than it did in Canada. So, we should not be surprised if in Styria we don’t see the planned updates, but only minor changes to adapt the car to the track.
So what’s going on? Back at headquarters, in the Ferrari Racing Division, there is a belief that the full potential seen in simulations is not being exploited on track. This underpins the recent narrative of Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, which prioritizes solid execution over introducing new updates. Apparently, this isn’t just the team principal’s theory, but also that of the technical director. Loic Serra believes in a Ferrari more competitive than what is currently seen. Some within the Maranello team feel there is a lack of the kind of creativity that allows Red Bull to often turn around a “wrong” setup from Friday practice and put Max Verstappen on the front row.
In short, the team has two directions: those calling for immediate technical aerodynamic updates and those who want more time to unlock the car’s hidden potential.
Frederic Vasseur admitted in Montreal that changes would be coming soon, but he did not believe that was the main issue. The French manager pointed out that if a team could set a record in sector one, as Ferrari had done, there might not be a pressing need to introduce numerous updates. He noted that other teams didn’t bring developments every weekend, and just because Ferrari didn’t announce updates didn’t mean they weren’t bringing any. The key, Frederic Vasseur emphasized, was to focus on their own performance, as the team had not done a clean job last weekend.
The indirect criticism is aimed at Charles Leclerc, who crashed in the first free practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix, effectively missing two practice sessions, and then made a mistake in qualifying. The Monegasque is under pressure as he tries to compensate for the SF-25’s shortcomings with his natural talent, sometimes making mistakes that are now being held against him. He goes from being the team’s savior to a problem source.
One thing is certain: the troubles are not coming from Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton, but rather from a car that’s falling short of expectations. Ferrari needs to find a shared vision rather than letting internal divisions emerge so clearly in public statements.
McLaren and Mercedes, more than Red Bull, are bringing aerodynamic updates in order to improve, and those updates are delivering tangible results. Ferrari has called back its suspension technicians, who had already been reassigned to the development of the 2026 Formula 1 car, to redesign the new rear suspension. The decision to intervene on the rear end came late, and considering the time required to design, produce, and test new parts, it is no surprise if these solutions only appear around the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit. But this delay raises a troubling question: will this long-awaited effort produce something meaningful, or just another illusion?
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