Recent Formula 1 race weekends have exposed a worrying collapse in performance for Ferrari, and former driver turned analyst Martin Brundle has made it clear that he does not accept the official explanation coming out of Maranello. Despite a competitive start to the year, the Ferrari operation has rapidly fallen out of contention as the 2025 season has progressed.
For much of the opening half of the campaign, the Scuderia managed to hold a respectable position in the constructors’ standings, maintaining a close fight with Mercedes for second place. After the Mexican Grand Prix, Ferrari even held a narrow one-point advantage over their German rivals. However, just two rounds later, the situation has flipped dramatically, with the team now trailing Mercedes by 63 points after a string of disappointing results.
Ferrari CEO John Elkann has reportedly grown increasingly dissatisfied with the performances delivered by both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, yet the ongoing slump appears to be rooted in problems that go beyond the drivers themselves. The entire organisation has struggled to find stability, grip, and race pace at a time when rivals are finding improvements.
Martin Brundle questions Ferrari’s reasoning for their mid-season decline
Speaking to the media ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, team principal Fred Vasseur explained that Ferrari’s engineering division shifted its development resources toward the 2026 Formula 1 project as early as April. This decision, he suggested, meant that meaningful upgrades for the SF-25 were effectively halted months ago.
Martin Brundle, however, remains unconvinced by this justification. He pointed out that every front-running team has already diverted significant focus to the new regulations coming in 2026, which means Ferrari’s situation cannot be excused by a development freeze alone. According to Martin Brundle, such an explanation overlooks the more fundamental issues that have plagued the SF-25 throughout the year.
During Sky Sports F1’s broadcast ahead of the Qatar Sprint, Martin Brundle expressed the view that Ferrari were “missing the bigger picture” if they believed their slump was solely caused by the shift in development strategy. The veteran commentator suggested that deeper structural problems needed addressing, including the car’s inconsistency and a lack of progress compared to Ferrari-powered customer teams.
The Sprint race offered further evidence of Ferrari’s struggles. Throughout the 19-lap event, Charles Leclerc found himself stuck behind Oliver Bearman’s Haas, unable to use the SF-25’s theoretical pace advantage. Brundle drew attention to the irony that both Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto—driving for smaller outfits that use Ferrari power units—were comfortably ahead of the factory team on pure performance.
Brundle also reflects on Lewis Hamilton’s difficult mindset during Ferrari’s slump
The former driver also spoke about the increasingly downbeat tone of Lewis Hamilton’s interviews as the team’s form deteriorates. After falling out of SQ1 during Sprint qualifying, Lewis Hamilton appeared thoroughly deflated, offering little optimism aside from mentioning the pleasant conditions in Qatar. His comments raised fresh concerns about his long-term trajectory with the team.
Martin Brundle explained that he now approaches Lewis Hamilton’s interviews with a sense of concern, noting that the seven-time world champion is clearly struggling to extract confidence from the SF-25. Unlike Charles Leclerc—who has managed to deliver occasional flashes of strong performance—Lewis Hamilton has found fewer positives to build on, deepening his frustration.
Brundle observed that if Lewis Hamilton were dealing with an identifiable mechanical issue that the team could resolve with time, he would likely find stability. Instead, the unpredictability of the SF-25 leaves him in a difficult mental position, especially when his teammate is occasionally able to outperform him.
As the 2025 season enters its final stretch, the pressure continues to mount on both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, as well as the entire Ferrari squad. With the team already shifting focus to 2026, it remains uncertain whether the SF-25 will see any meaningful improvements—or whether this season will serve as a reminder that development decisions can make or break a championship campaign.
