Ferrari must do better. After the first five races of the 2025 F1 season, the balance of power among the top teams is beginning to take shape. McLaren confirms itself as extremely competitive and consistent in results: it undoubtedly has the most high-performing car, and the average of 36 points per race is proof of a well-balanced, efficient, and consistent car. Mercedes, after the first two races where it had positioned itself as the second force.
However, after five rounds, it has stabilized as the third force, securing 18 points three times in a row. Solidity is certainly a strength of the W16, which still has potential to unleash. The Brackley team can rely on a George Russell in top form. Alongside him is a rapidly growing Kimi Antonelli, who has proven to be far from a rookie.
Red Bull is relying exclusively on its star driver Max Verstappen, who always manages to extract the maximum from the car, especially in qualifying. The average of 16.60 points per race reflects an inconsistent performance, with positive peaks — such as in Suzuka — alternating with much more difficult races, like in Bahrain. However, the most complicated situation is certainly that of Ferrari.
The Maranello team has collected an average of 13.20 points per race, but this figure does not tell the whole story. After a disastrous start between Melbourne and Shanghai (excluding the Sprint Race), a trend reversal is noticeable starting from Suzuka, with clear growth continuing in Bahrain and Jeddah. In the last three Grands Prix, in fact, the Scuderia has achieved an average of 20.33 points per Grand Prix.
We are talking about the team that, after the super McLaren, has scored the most points in this time span. The merit seems to be twofold: on one hand, a small help from the floor, which slowly and progressively, starting from Sakhir, has provided a bit more stability to the SF-25. The understeering behavior remains, but it is no longer as invasive as in the first three races of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The other predominant factor concerns Charles Leclerc’s ability, skillful in using a particular driving style to match the needs of the new car. The Monegasque, often struggling to find confidence with the balance in the first three rounds, began to “shape himself” around the Maranello car, changing his approach in braking and corner entry phases with his F1 car.
This maturation is clearly reflected in the results: if from the opening Grand Prix in Melbourne to the Japanese race in Shanghai his driving was clumsy and ineffective, in the last two races the Monegasque has appeared much more solid and consistent, able to bring the car into a range not yet optimal but definitely more productive. Awaiting the next aerodynamic update package, this is the best that can be done.
But Ferrari’s overall approach is improving. From a strategic and operational point of view, the Prancing Horse seems to have made a qualitative leap. The pit stops are among the most competitive on the grid, as Charles Leclerc himself pointed out at the end of the Jeddah race. Tactical choices also seemed more reactive and less conservative compared to the past, where communication between pit wall and drivers appears more fluid.
In recent radio communications, Charles Leclerc seemed much more relaxed in talking with his race engineer Bryan Bozzi. All signs that suggest a more cohesive and aware Ferrari, knowing that things can and are slowly improving. The Maranello team is pushing as hard as possible to always be ready to seize every opportunity, an aspect that must remain for the rest of the season.
Of course, the gap in pace compared to McLaren remains, about 0.3 seconds per lap. A lot of consistency is needed to get back into the fight at the top, but the trend of the last three races shows positive signs. Naturally, Lewis Hamilton’s contribution is also necessary. The Briton must soon find the same feeling his teammate shows, while waiting for the team to update the SF-25.
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