At the end of the Japanese Grand Prix, during the Sky Race Anatomy broadcast, journalist Umberto Zapelloni made a telling remark about Ferrari’s 2025 start.
“Maybe they needed Adrian Newey more than Lewis Hamilton,” he said in the middle of a discussion on the SF-25’s performance at Suzuka. That statement certainly gives pause for thought—let’s analyze the situation.
A car without a “father”
One thing needs to be considered: the new Ferrari single-seater, which is proving far below expectations, was designed during a complicated year.
A year that saw the Scuderia bid farewell to its former technical director, Enrico Cardile, in July, with team principal Frédéric Vasseur stepping in on an interim basis until the arrival of Loïc Serra in October. There wasn’t, therefore, a clear reference figure who oversaw the 2025 car from start to finish.
And yet, even a potential addition of Adrian Newey wouldn’t have resolved the issue, since the engineer had to observe a gardening leave (a period during which one cannot begin working for another team) until last month.
As of today, Ferrari knows it must sort out this car as soon as possible. The team is aware it can count on two of the best drivers on the grid, but it needs to put them in the best conditions—otherwise, this season will feel very long…
