Scuderia Ferrari left the 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone with disappointment and frustration. While Lewis Hamilton showcased encouraging pace in front of his home crowd and came close to securing a podium finish, Charles Leclerc endured a difficult and uphill race, plagued by a car setup that severely penalized his SF-25 under the mixed weather conditions encountered on Sunday.
Contrary to the initial impression, Ferrari’s lack of performance was not due to a slow race pace overall. In fact, as highlighted by former driver and Sky Sport F1 commentator Matteo Bobbi, the real issue stemmed from a technical choice that left Leclerc compromised in the rain. “Ferrari was not slow at Silverstone — not at all. Lewis Hamilton had a strong race pace; he was clearly the second-fastest after McLaren,” explained Matteo Bobbi. “As for Charles Leclerc, we can now say with full certainty that his aerodynamic and mechanical balance was far too biased toward the front. That kind of setup makes it extremely difficult to perform well in wet conditions.”
This technical assessment was directly echoed by Charles Leclerc himself, who spoke candidly immediately after crossing the finish line at the Silverstone Circuit. “The setup choice was wrong,” said the Monegasque driver, “but what worries me most is the lack of pace. For several races now, I’ve been going with an extreme setup to maximize performance in dry conditions. It seems to work well on a dry track — but clearly, it doesn’t work at all when it’s wet.”
Charles Leclerc’s Extreme Setup Backfires in the Rain — But He Wasn’t Alone
It was not just Scuderia Ferrari that opted for a car setup tailored for dry-weather performance. Red Bull Racing also made a similar strategic error with Max Verstappen, who had secured pole position during qualifying.
“Red Bull committed a technical suicide as well by choosing a qualifying-style setup for Max Verstappen. At the time, everyone believed the race would be completely dry,” added the Sky Sport F1 analyst.
However, the key difference was in how each driver managed the race conditions. Max Verstappen, despite a spin during the race, was still able to adapt and recover, maintaining competitiveness throughout the Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, struggled significantly with the handling of his SF-25, often unable to challenge or overtake even slower cars that were theoretically less competitive.
Ultimately, Charles Leclerc’s extreme setup choice, while offering potential benefits in dry weather, proved to be a major liability in the rain-soaked and constantly changing conditions at Silverstone — exposing one of the key vulnerabilities of the 2025 Ferrari Formula 1 car when pushed outside of its narrow performance window.
Have your say on Charles Leclerc’s performance in the British Grand Prix. Let us know with a comment at the end of the article or on our social media channels: Facebook Group / Facebook Page / Instagram / X (former Twitter)
