Ferrari was widely seen as the major Formula 1 team facing significant difficulties and challenges during the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship season, especially following their performance at the British Grand Prix. Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have now reached the midpoint, or halfway stage, of the 2025 Formula 1 season without securing a single victory in the standard Grand Prix races, excluding the Sprint events that have become a part of the modern Formula 1 race weekend format. This winless streak has raised growing concerns and questions about the overall performance and competitiveness of Scuderia Ferrari in the current championship campaign.
Despite these setbacks, the recent departure of Christian Horner from the Red Bull Racing team indicates that the current Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur, still has a window of opportunity and enough time left to reverse the team’s fortunes and restore their competitiveness before the conclusion of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship season, even though Fred Vasseur’s contract is officially set to expire and come to an end at the conclusion of this calendar year. The situation remains very fluid and dynamic, but there is a shared belief among insiders and analysts that positive change is still achievable under Fred Vasseur’s ongoing leadership.
Nevertheless, Ferrari’s present position as second place in the constructors’ championship standings might be somewhat deceptive and not entirely reflective of the true competitiveness gap. Their closest rivals, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, are currently relying heavily on their rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was never realistically expected to immediately match the pace or experience level of his teammate, the highly talented and seasoned British driver George Russell, during his debut season in Formula 1. Meanwhile, at Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen has largely lived up to expectations and delivered strong performances as the team’s lead driver, but their second seat, occupied by the less experienced driver, has only managed to contribute a mere seven points to the team’s overall tally, highlighting some ongoing inconsistencies.
Charles Leclerc’s personal coach has expressed the viewpoint that Ferrari should pay very close attention to the insights, advice, and wealth of experience brought by Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, who carries extensive expertise and technical knowledge gained from his long and highly successful tenure at Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton, now aged 40 years, is believed to be actively working behind the scenes within Ferrari, with the hope and intention of instigating significant strategic and technical changes that could ultimately help restore the Scuderia’s former dominance and competitiveness in the sport.
According to a detailed report from the respected and widely followed Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, there is a clear understanding within the Ferrari team environment and among Lewis Hamilton’s camp that the team and the driver are still in the process of aligning their respective “vision of the job and the car.” This means that Lewis Hamilton needs to fully grasp the technical elements and characteristics that make the Ferrari SF-25 competitive on the track and adjust his driving style accordingly, while the team led by Fred Vasseur must also learn how to extract the maximum potential and best possible performance from one of the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history.
Currently, Lewis Hamilton’s car has displayed too much inconsistency and variability to be a regular contender against teams like McLaren F1 Team, with Ferrari seemingly struggling with power steering issues when navigating through high-speed corners on various circuits. The report from Gazzetta dello Sport further indicates that Lewis Hamilton is now advocating for a fundamental “change of philosophy” within Ferrari, aiming for their next car to be “less extreme” in its aerodynamic design and handling behavior.
Such a change is expected to provide both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with a car that is more predictable and has a wider operational window, which is crucial for consistent performance across different circuits, varying track conditions, and unpredictable weather. This adjustment is considered an essential and “real necessity” for Charles Leclerc, whose recent performance at the British Grand Prix was described by former Formula 1 driver and expert commentator Martin Brundle as one of his worst races in the sport to date. Charles Leclerc was outqualified by Lewis Hamilton, finished outside the points-paying positions, suffered from a poor race strategy implemented by the team, and ultimately collided with his former Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in the closing moments of the race, further compounding the team’s difficulties.
The Italian media also suggests that Charles Leclerc needs to be “calmed down and recharged” mentally and physically after yet another season in which Ferrari’s potential has repeatedly failed to translate into the desired race results and championship success. While Ferrari’s newly developed rear suspension system may provide some benefits and improvements for both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton believes that the team’s challenges go well beyond this technical upgrade and require deeper, more fundamental changes at both the strategic and engineering levels.
Looking ahead, the primary focus for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will be to break their current winless streak and secure at least one victory before the end of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Although ongoing development and updates continue on this year’s SF-25 car, it is expected that Fred Vasseur will soon have to make the critical strategic decision to shift Ferrari’s full attention and resources to the design and construction of the 2026 Formula 1 car. The upcoming regulation changes set to come into effect in the 2026 season could dramatically alter the competitive landscape of Formula 1, and aside from the McLaren F1 Team, most other teams are hoping for a fresh start that could disrupt the current dominance of Red Bull and Mercedes.
However, early technical indications and insider reports suggest that Ferrari’s engine may already be at a disadvantage and potentially weaker compared to the power units currently being developed by rival manufacturers Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport. This presents a significant and worrying challenge for Ferrari, especially as the next few years are widely expected to be dominated by power unit performance and efficiency due to the evolving Formula 1 technical regulations.
To be competitive and realistic title contenders in the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, Ferrari must “unlearn” certain established behaviors, operational philosophies, and technical approaches in order to effectively support Lewis Hamilton and maximize his strengths. At the same time, the Ferrari team faces the critical and complex task of building a car capable of winning their first Formula 1 World Championship Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles since 2008 — an ambition that depends heavily on successfully navigating the technical regulation changes, the evolving competitive landscape, and the fierce rivalry posed by other teams and manufacturers on the Formula 1 grid.
