Ferrari falls short again, and it’s not just a plank wear issue
Ferrari’s struggles continued in Singapore, and this time the concerns go far beyond plank wear. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both voiced frustration after another disappointing qualifying session at Marina Bay. The Scuderia, aiming at least for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, now faces a much more worrying reality.
On a track where the SF-25 was expected to perform strongly on paper, Ferrari faltered again. Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, with Charles Leclerc right behind in seventh. Both cars were more than half a second slower than George Russell’s pole-setting Mercedes — an eternity in modern Formula 1, where differences are measured in thousandths of a second.
In the opening practice sessions, Ferrari seemed capable of mixing it with the frontrunners, raising hopes for a competitive weekend. But once again, the same old issue resurfaced: excessive plank wear. It’s the recurring curse that has haunted the SF-25 since winter testing. The engineers were forced to raise the car’s ride height, and as a result, the team lost valuable aerodynamic downforce needed to compete on equal terms.
Charles Leclerc, visibly disappointed, explained the situation clearly after qualifying. “The car was really difficult to drive. It’s been a very tough weekend so far. In FP1 we looked good and quite fast — we weren’t even pushing to the limit. We even had some margin. But then we were forced to make changes to the car, and from FP2 onwards we really struggled.”
The Monegasque driver didn’t need to go into detail — everyone already knows the issue. The SF-25 was designed to run extremely close to the ground, but to remain within regulations, Ferrari must raise the floor slightly. That small adjustment reduces the vertical load that energizes the tires, costing crucial grip and stability — and, ultimately, performance.
The SF-25 was flawed from the start, and even the upgrades introduced before the summer break failed to make a real difference. Ferrari invested heavily in a revised rear suspension that was expected to solve most of the car’s weaknesses. But the change came too late, and the overall behavior of the car remains problematic — especially under braking.
Team principal Frédéric Vasseur had previously (and unfairly) pinned much of the blame for the car’s design issues on Enrico Cardile, now working successfully alongside Adrian Newey at Aston Martin. Yet, it’s hard to overlook the shortcomings of Loïc Serra’s development group, which had promised mid-season progress similar to what the team achieved last year — progress that has simply not arrived.
At the end of the 2024 season, Ferrari finished just 14 points behind McLaren in the Constructors’ standings, fighting until the final race. Now, the papaya cars sit 337 points ahead — a staggering gap. Even Mercedes has moved past Ferrari, suggesting that second place in the standings is now nothing more than an illusion.
At Marina Bay, Charles Leclerc expressed his frustration with the car’s limitations, while Lewis Hamilton criticized the team’s operational management. The British driver seems resigned: he no longer expects Ferrari to tailor the SF-25 around his driving style. Since the summer break, Hamilton has tried to adapt, managing to narrow the gap to his teammate. However, he complained about “the waiting times in the pit lane, the drop in tire temperatures — all these things stop us from optimizing our sessions. Everyone is trying their best, but we also need to look at what others are doing better.”
In short, the car doesn’t work, and neither does the team. Both drivers are calling for change — not necessarily to chase short-term wins, but to start preparing for the 2026 season, when Formula 1’s new regulations will finally offer Ferrari a chance to start over and turn the page.
Leave a Reply