Ferrari have failed to meet their own expectations so far in 2025 and struggled to adapt to a new Formula 1 car concept.
And somehow, the top four in the constructors’ championship remain the same as they finished in 2024 through the first nine rounds of the season. Ferrari are second, but have fewer points than each individual McLaren driver ahead, who have failed to reach the podium just twice all year.
It has been bad timing for Lewis Hamilton, who must have felt that he had timed his switch from Mercedes almost to perfection over the winter. A change in philosophy will have been damaging for Charles Leclerc, who has put in so much effort to lead his team back to the front over the last few years.
Hamilton will be devastated about Leclerc’s ‘new’ Ferrari issue after encountering some tricky limitations during the final stint of the Spanish Grand Prix. Despite overtaking Max Verstappen and going on to finish third, there is plenty he needs to understand about his car and the race.
Ferrari put Hamilton in a ‘horrible’ situation, according to his ex-teammate Nico Rosberg in Spain, after asking him to move aside for his colleague during the race. Leclerc had set his car up for Sunday rather than Saturday, and it paid off to the tune of a trophy.
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Ferrari to bring two upgrades that will help Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ‘challenge’ McLaren
So far this year, Leclerc is considerably ahead of Hamilton at Ferrari, and the longer that trend continues, the less likely it is to be down to familiarity. The seven-time champion has had nearly six months to adjust to his new surroundings now.
Hamilton has been urged to make a drastic Ferrari change by Juan Pablo Montoya, who believes that a new race engineer would make life easier for him. It may just be frustrating for all the energy he has put in to build good chemistry with Riccardo Adami to be thrown away.
Journalist Franco Nugnes has revealed two crucial upgrades that will be arriving at Ferrari soon, which may help to turn the tide of their season. It’s much-needed after Hamilton’s ‘worst’ race of the year.
“Here, let’s leave it alone. Ferrari finds itself in the position of having to absolutely anticipate what will have to be the updates, a new floor and then a new rear suspension,” he said.
“Which, according to Maranello’s expectations, should lead it to challenge even those who are leading the world championship, McLaren. We’ll see.”
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Is Lewis Hamilton debating his Ferrari future after the Spanish Grand Prix?
On average, Hamilton has been the sixth fastest car on the grid this season, and it is proven by his position in the championship. 23 points behind fifth and 23 points ahead of seventh.
Speaking after the race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, he admitted that he had learned nothing from the Grand Prix, and that it was his ‘worst’ race in red.
Hamilton’s comment suggests he doubts his Ferrari future, after saying that all he wanted to do after the race was go ‘home’.
But will he have the energy left to get up and leave home after the 2025 season concludes? With a new ruleset for 2026 coming soon, is he starting to feel that it’s already time for the new generation to take over?
