Charles Leclerc, finishing in fourth position, and Lewis Hamilton, crossing the line in sixth place at the Italian Grand Prix, gave a very clear demonstration that the Ferrari SF-25 unfortunately does not currently possess the necessary qualities required to fight for and win a Formula 1 race. On a weekend where the McLaren team was not performing at the absolute peak of its potential, it was instead the Red Bull team who managed to make the most of the strategic setup choices. These were the same setup directions that Ferrari had hoped would finally allow them to close the gap to the front.
The Maranello team, however, ultimately let down the record-breaking Monza crowd, who had filled the grandstands with hopes of seeing their beloved Scuderia achieve glory at home. The passionate Tifosi, who follow the red cars with almost religious devotion, have unfortunately grown used to the disappointing reality that Ferrari is not consistently competitive at the very highest level of Formula 1. The Italian Grand Prix at the Temple of Speed should have been the perfect opportunity to break the curse and finally celebrate the very first victory of the SF-25. Yet the dream of the Maranello supporters was already shattered during the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.
Charles Leclerc’s eventual fourth place and Lewis Hamilton’s sixth place at the chequered flag represented the absolute maximum result that the Ferrari car was capable of delivering on this occasion. While the team can still look ahead to two remaining potential opportunities on very fast street circuits in Baku and Las Vegas, the truth revealed by the Italian Grand Prix was undeniable: Ferrari is not competitive. It is useless to continue to feed illusions, useless to continue chasing dreams that cannot be achieved with this car package.
The Monza crowd nevertheless gave their customary warm applause and loud ovations to the drivers, who approached the sea of red-clad fans beneath the podium after the race. It was certainly not the fault of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton that the expected results did not arrive. The newly introduced floor and the redesigned rear suspension were not enough to give Ferrari the extra sharpness and competitiveness required to turn the SF-25 into a genuine race-winning machine. Only team principal Frédéric Vasseur, a skilled and persuasive communicator, was able to provide explanations that could be considered valid for what was ultimately a very disappointing weekend for the Italian team. With his characteristic smile, the French manager underlined that the Ferrari cars had finished only four seconds behind the McLaren drivers, who are currently dominating the championship battle.
That statement was technically accurate, but it ignored the fact that ahead of the two papaya-coloured McLarens there was an absolutely outstanding Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. The Dutchman completely outclassed the MCL39 cars, finishing a full 20 seconds ahead of them. In the context of modern Formula 1, such a margin is practically an eternity. It was evident that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had extended their stints in the hope of benefiting from a safety car intervention that might have reshuffled the order and reopened the fight at the front. This meant the final gap could theoretically have been smaller. Yet once again, when McLaren found themselves in difficulty, Ferrari were not in a position to take advantage of the situation and capitalize on their rival’s weaknesses.
For the moment, the Scuderia remains second in the Constructors’ Championship with 280 points, holding a 20-point lead over Mercedes and 41 points clear of Red Bull, who are essentially competing with only one driver consistently finishing races. Despite this, such results are far below the expectations that surrounded Ferrari going into their home race in Italy. The hope, both inside the team and among the Tifosi, was to celebrate a victory at Monza. Instead, Charles Leclerc was left off the podium once again, in what he himself summed up in a laconic way as being “in the middle of nowhere.”
The engineers working under the guidance of Loïc Serra made significant efforts to find solutions. They carried out extensive tests in the wind tunnel to identify the ideal ride height that would allow the Ferrari SF-25 to generate the maximum possible downforce on Monza’s billiard-smooth tarmac.
From there, they progressively reduced wing angles in the search for top speed, going as far as they could before plank wear became an issue with the FIA’s regulations. The Ferrari drivers then had to adapt to a very difficult and unpredictable car under braking. After further adjustments to the DRS flap, they were forced to find a compromise solution in order to avoid excessive risks. Already in the qualifying session, the Ferrari camp knew that pole position was completely out of reach. Even with Lewis Hamilton providing Charles Leclerc with a perfect slipstream, the engineers and strategists were convinced that starting from pole would not have been possible. For this reason, the team wisely abandoned such plans.
Monza therefore brought Ferrari fans firmly back down to earth, reminding them that what Ferrari attempted was achieved much more successfully by Red Bull. The Milton Keynes outfit, guided by new team principal Laurent Mekies, secured his very first win after just four races at the helm. Pursuing maximum top speed was undoubtedly the correct direction. Charles Leclerc reached 352.8 kilometers per hour during the race, while Max Verstappen recorded 352.5 kilometers per hour, both achieved without the benefit of a slipstream. Lewis Hamilton, with the help of a tow, reached 363.3 kilometers per hour, surpassed only by Alexander Albon, who was 0.8 kilometers per hour faster. What became clear, however, was that the new RB21 floor is capable of generating significantly more downforce than Ferrari’s updated package. The satisfaction visible on the face of Pierre Waché on the podium spoke volumes about Red Bull’s determination to bounce back and reaffirm their dominance.
And what about Ferrari? The Italian team suffered greater tyre wear, the result of an aggressive early race pace. Charles Leclerc initially attempted to move into podium contention, but that hope vanished quickly when Oscar Piastri managed to overtake him with a daring move around the outside of Lesmo 1, in a section of the track where such a manoeuvre had seemed nearly impossible. Ferrari’s race pace was enough to keep Mercedes under control but was nowhere near the level required to challenge Red Bull and McLaren.
This was simply not enough to rescue a season that had already started in the wrong way. The Ferrari SF-25 has inherent design flaws that cannot realistically be resolved over the course of the campaign. As a result, the most sensible strategy for Ferrari now is to defend second place in the Constructors’ standings while focusing all available energy and resources on the development of Project 678, the future car that will also benefit from new technical reinforcements joining the organisation. As for dreams and illusions, those are best left to those who still wish to believe in them.
