The latest verdict following the Suzuka weekend: is this “fundamentally flawed” Ferrari truly forced to surrender in F1? The fourth and seventh places at the Japanese Grand Prix marked the team’s best result so far this season, at the end of the third round of the 2025 Formula 1 championship. Far too little for a car that was supposed to fight for the title. Leo Turrini’s commentary, following the race, offers no escape for the Maranello team.
That celebration in Milan feels like an eternity ago. The excitement, the desire to win, the “certainty,” in some ways, of being competitive: the first three races of the season have brought a harsh wake-up call for the Prancing Horse. Was it all really just a dream? And was the victory in the Shanghai Sprint Race nothing more than a mirage? The mood in the garage seems to confirm it.
Charles Leclerc is known for being expressive, and his pessimism after Suzuka is a clear sign: something hasn’t gone as the team hoped this year. Having to yield to McLaren might have been foreseen, sure — but after Australia, China, and Japan, some are even calling Ferrari the “fourth force.” That’s a bitter blow for a team that aimed to be the first.
The Ferrari SF-25 is “fundamentally flawed”
The most damning comment comes from Leo Turrini, writing on his blog for quotidiano.net: “This is Ferrari. Mediocre. Not golden. Just mediocre. A recovery through upgrades can be imagined, but in the present, the situation leaves no room for misinterpretation. The SF-25 is fundamentally flawed. And it shows. It was already clear, but of course we can cling to the thread of eternal hope — just not fool ourselves.” – the Italian journalist and Ferrari insider pointed out at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix.
“Leclerc gave it everything, both in qualifying and the race. He stayed far from the top three, in a normal race — no rain, no safety car. Hamilton: I have too much respect for him to judge his performance. And unfortunately, we always have to come back to the car.” – the F1 expert concluded.
The aerodynamic upgrades expected for Bahrain might improve the car’s performance, in a championship where the gaps are still very tight. Even just a tenth can be the difference between the front row and the back of the top teams in qualifying. But for anyone expecting “miracles,” the response comes directly from Frédéric Vasseur: in Sakhir, and then in Jeddah, there will be none.
