Lewis Hamilton will race in front of Ferrari fans for the first time at Imola this weekend. It could be a season-defining Grand Prix for the Brit and the team.
Ferrari have not met expectations so far in 2025, with one podium from the opening six races, courtesy of Charles Leclerc in Jeddah. While teammate Hamilton won the Sprint in Shanghai and finished P3 in Miami, the Maranello outfit have struggled to find performance on Sundays.
They come into their first home Grand Prix of the season in fourth in the constructors’ championship, 152 points behind McLaren. Ferrari will want to put last weekend’s misery in Miami behind them, after they were slower than Williams in the race.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
246 |
| 2 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
141 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
105 |
| 4 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
94 |
| 5 |
Williams F1 Team |
37 |
| 6 |
Haas F1 Team |
20 |
| 7 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
14 |
| 8 |
Racing Bulls |
8 |
| 9 |
Alpine F1 Team |
7 |
| 10 |
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber |
6 |
Morale is low at Ferrari as they work to find solutions to their issues with the SF-25. Team principal Frederic Vasseur says Hamilton is struggling to adapt when the team are performing below expectations; the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is the perfect chance to re-energise their season.
Having a strong weekend at Imola will bring incredible support from the Tifosi and could kickstart a solid run over the next few races. Have a bad weekend and the fans will let the team know about their discontent.
Ferrari fans fully support Lewis Hamilton with face cut-outs and ‘massive flags’ in the Imola grandstands
Hamilton will be desperate to find form at Imola. The seven-time world champion has not finished higher than fifth in the opening six Grands Prix.
Hamilton told Ferrari fans they deserve success ahead of the Emilia Romagna GP. They labelled the 40-year-old a ‘legend’ as they come to the circuit in their numbers to cheer on their famous red team.
Davide Valsecchi says the Tifosi are ‘arguing’ over Hamilton, with some believing he is ‘not delivering’ the results they expected at the start of the year. The grandstands at Imola show how they really feel about their new signing.
In a report by The Mirror, journalist Daniel Moxon noted that ‘the Tifosi still very much have his back’. They have displayed ‘cut-outs of his face’ and ‘massive flags bearing his racing number 44’ in the grandstands, as well as personalised hats and T-shirts ‘everywhere you looked’.
Speaking to a few Ferrari fans, Moxon says they still believe that the ‘marriage’ between the team and Hamilton ‘can be a happy one’.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
What are Ferrari’s chances of a podium at Imola this weekend?
Ferrari need a good result at Imola this weekend. The team have brought upgrades to the car in the hopes that they can challenge the frontrunners.
Vasseur says the 2025 car still has ‘potential’ and is not willing to give up on the SF-25 just yet. However Ted Kravitz wasn’t too impressed by Ferrari’s upgrades at Imola, stating that he expected more from the team.
A podium would be an incredible feat at Imola and one that will raise the morale of the team and the fans after a glum start to 2025.
McLaren clearly have the pace advantage and knocking them off pole and the race win seems highly unlikely. But if Hamilton and Leclerc can extract the most from the car’s updates, a top three finish could be on the cards.
