Ferrari’s disastrous Brazilian Grand Prix has exposed the depth of the problems facing Maranello, with Charles Leclerc finishing 73 seconds behind race winner Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton crossing the line a lap down. After the encouraging performance in Mexico, expectations had been high, but the collapse at Interlagos has brought renewed scrutiny of Fred Vasseur’s leadership and raised a difficult question: what exactly is Ferrari missing?
It was a weekend that highlighted the enormous gulf between Ferrari and its Formula 1 rivals. Mercedes celebrated another Constructors’ World Championship, McLaren returned to winning ways, and Ferrari found itself barely inside the points. The contrast could hardly have been more painful for a team that began the season with ambitions of fighting for the championship.
Ferrari sinks at Interlagos as Mercedes celebrates another world title
Where should we begin? With Lando Norris, who occasionally reminds everyone of his ability to deliver truly championship-worthy performances? Or with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, fresh from winning the Drivers’ World Championship, who produced an electrifying start followed by 18 laps of outstanding leadership? Perhaps the most appropriate starting point is Mercedes, which has secured its ninth Constructors’ World Championship well ahead of schedule – precisely the title Ferrari had hoped to challenge for at the beginning of the season.
Mercedes deserves particular attention because a world championship is not a fleeting emotion. It is an achievement that becomes part of Formula 1 history. The German manufacturer, whose Formula 1 operations are based in Britain, began the season as the favourite, but few expected its superiority to be quite so overwhelming.
Much of that advantage came from Mercedes’ early interpretation of the technical regulations, something its competitors failed to match. This includes the controversial question of engine compression ratios, whether measured in cold or hot conditions, an area that rival manufacturers were slow to understand. More broadly, however, Mercedes produced a superior package, both in terms of its power unit and the rest of the car, despite occasional flashes of winning form from Ferrari and McLaren.
There is another aspect of this Mercedes success that deserves recognition: its strong Italian influence. From Toto Wolff, the exceptional leader whose authority and vision appear to be missing at Maranello, to the numerous Italian engineers recruited to Brackley and Brixworth, Mercedes has benefited from talent that Ferrari itself has not always appreciated.
Some of those specialists were reportedly dismissed or overlooked with remarkable disdain by individuals whose identities are all too familiar. The achievement of this increasingly Italian-influenced Mercedes operation is made even more significant by the fact that it has helped a 20-year-old driver from Bologna become Formula 1 World Champion.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli could even have won the Brazilian Grand Prix. In a chaotic race, two spins around the halfway point, apparently caused by a mysterious imbalance in his car, ultimately left him fifth. Yet that does little to diminish his performance. His opening stint alone demonstrated that he had the potential to make the difference at Interlagos.
McLaren returns to winning ways while Ferrari falls further behind
Lando Norris’s victory also marked McLaren’s return to the front following a winless period stretching back to the Dutch Grand Prix in August. The upgrades introduced for Brazil allowed the British team to re-establish a clear advantage over its competitors.
The car was excellent, and so was Lando Norris. Whether the circuit was wet or dry, he was able to pull away from the field and impose his pace. His only significant weakness was another painfully slow start, but once that hurdle had been overcome, he made no mistakes.
The scale of his superiority was illustrated by the 56-second margin over team-mate Oscar Piastri, whose increasingly mysterious decline in form continues to raise questions. That gap speaks for itself and requires little additional explanation.
Ferrari’s Brazilian GP disaster: Charles Leclerc 73 seconds behind and Lewis Hamilton a lap down
Then comes the most painful subject of all: Ferrari. Charles Leclerc, the team’s leading finisher, crossed the line one minute and 13 seconds behind Lando Norris. It is an extraordinary margin for a team that had arrived in Brazil hoping to build on its impressive Mexican Grand Prix performance.
Lewis Hamilton’s result was even more disappointing, with the seven-time World Champion finishing a full lap behind the McLaren driver.
After Ferrari’s strong showing in Mexico, setting aside the disagreements between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, the expectation was that the Italian team could fight for victory or at least produce a performance worth remembering. Instead, the weekend developed into one of its most disappointing of the entire season.
Admittedly, power-unit changes and other modifications left Charles Leclerc starting from 14th position and Lewis Hamilton from 20th. But there was enough time, and the conditions appeared favourable enough, for both drivers to mount substantial recoveries. Max Verstappen demonstrated what was possible by climbing from 21st on the grid to finish second.
Ferrari, however, failed to take advantage. Despite Lewis Hamilton’s excellent opening burst, the SF-26 gradually lost its competitiveness, struggling on both wet-weather tyres and dry-weather compounds.
The result was a complete disaster, arguably Ferrari’s worst of the year. For a team with the resources, history and ambitions of Maranello, such a performance is impossible to justify.
The contrast in performance also makes Ferrari’s race pace and lap-time comparison data particularly relevant, illustrating the importance of understanding where time is being lost over a Grand Prix distance.
Fred Vasseur faces renewed questions over Ferrari’s deeper problems
At this point, it is increasingly difficult to argue that Ferrari’s problems are confined to individual race weekends or isolated strategic mistakes. The underlying issues appear to run much deeper, raising questions about the decisions taken at the highest levels of the organisation.
Fred Vasseur has so far enjoyed considerable freedom from Ferrari’s senior management. Yet the team principal appears reluctant to confront the broader responsibilities behind the team’s failures, while those above him remain silent.
The concerns extend beyond the immediate race result. Questions have already been raised about Fred Vasseur and John Elkann’s handling of Ferrari’s internal difficulties, while the team’s technical direction has also attracted criticism.
One particularly troubling issue concerns Ferrari’s long-standing competitive weaknesses, including the engine performance deficit and the decisions behind it. These are not necessarily problems that can be solved through a single upgrade or a change of strategy during a Grand Prix.
What is Ferrari waiting for to address its Formula 1 crisis?
Sooner or later, Ferrari will have to confront the situation decisively. It is becoming exhausting to watch Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull winning races, collecting titles and planning ambitious futures while the Italian team remains trapped in a crisis that nobody appears genuinely determined to resolve.
What makes the situation even more frustrating is the extraordinary potential available at Maranello. Ferrari is not simply another Formula 1 constructor. It represents one of Italy’s most prestigious industrial achievements, with a technological reputation admired throughout the world.
The company has the financial resources, technical expertise, exceptional engineers and engineering know-how needed to compete at the highest level. Yet the Formula 1 operation continues to fall short of the standards that such an institution should demand.
The debate about how Ferrari develops its drivers and manages its technical resources has also been reflected in criticism of Charles Leclerc’s development within the team, adding to the growing questions about Maranello’s overall direction.
Ferrari has the people, the knowledge, the infrastructure and the history. Its rivals have demonstrated what effective leadership and a clear technical vision can achieve. The Brazilian Grand Prix has simply made the difference impossible to ignore.
With so much at its disposal, what exactly is Ferrari waiting for before taking action?
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