After wrapping up the Middle Eastern double-header, Ferrari arrived in Miami for what was expected to be a delicate and significant weekend for their 2025 season. That was the outlook going into the event, shaped by the verdict from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which had appeared to be a turning point in the Scuderia’s championship. Following a dreadful start to the year, recent races had shown signs of life from the team, for many a glimmer of hope that the early-season collapse might be behind them — and that while the SF-25 was clearly not a top-tier car, it wasn’t fundamentally flawed, just a car with untapped potential. It had seemed, as previously reported, that the engineers had begun to understand the car, its behavior, and had started a path of improvement.
A step backwards
It must be said, however, that this improvement was supposed to be confirmed during the Florida weekend — a circuit not naturally suited to the car, but still a good test to validate the setup work and the updates introduced. While those updates hadn’t solved all the car’s problems, they had appeared to provide a step forward. Unfortunately, the progress of recent weeks failed to carry over to the U.S. As seen in both Sprint qualifying and the main qualifying, as well as in the Sprint race itself, Ferrari only performed at an acceptable level — on par with their direct rivals — once again struggling and showing itself to be the fourth-strongest team. As usual, the drivers were left baffled, and the same recurring issues that have plagued the SF-25 since the beginning of the season returned. Charles Leclerc had to settle for just eighth place in GP qualifying, while Lewis Hamilton ended up in a miserable twelfth — both behind Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, and even Williams.
Leo Turrini speaks out
What has just been described is enough to show how bitter the disappointment is for Ferrari, and it’s a clear indicator of an unacceptable situation. This was addressed on Leo Turrini’s blog “Profondo Rosso,” where he bluntly acknowledged the SF-25’s flaws and the deep disappointment of the fans — a disappointment that should be met with concrete answers rather than continued excuse-making or postponing success to some vague future.
“The SF-25 is a car that was born bad. Instead of clutching at straws, a true Ferrari fan accepts this, regrets it — and if you like, gets angry too. […] It’s an embarrassing disaster. […] In F1, based on financial power, there are four teams: McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari. Right now, in the Serie A of F1, Ferrari is last or second to last. With Williams dangerously close, at least over one lap. […] Is this acceptable? […] Or should we finally stop making excuses and putting off progress to some indefinite future? Can I say, on behalf of all Ferrari fans, that the disappointment is overwhelming? Hamilton did well to patch things up in the Sprint. But then he didn’t even make it to Q3. I doubt he’s happy.”
