The Japanese Grand Prix wasn’t a happy hunting ground for Ferrari as their 2025 Formula 1 season continues to unravel.
After a disappointing opening weekend in Australia and double disqualification in China, the Japanese Grand Prix wouldn’t have inspired too much confidence among Ferrari’s fans even if it did deliver their best points tally of the year.
Charles Leclerc started on the second row of the grid and ended up finishing P4, but was never in a position to challenge Max Verstappen or either McLaren driver.
His teammate Lewis Hamilton came home in seventh, overtaking Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, but was unable to make any progress on either Mercedes.
Ted Kravitz thinks Hamilton will be frustrated by Ferrari’s decision making, and Sunday’s race won’t help matters.
The seven-time world champion started on the hard tyres, but Andrea Kimi Antonelli pitted after him despite being on the mediums, highlighting the lack of tyre management needed at Suzuka.
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Lewis Hamilton’s car might have ‘fundamental’ problem after the Japanese Grand Prix
Speaking after the race on Sky Sports F1 (6/4 8:49 am), broadcaster Simon Lazenby was discussing Hamilton’s P7 finish.
He said: “There are some rumours in the paddock that there’s a fundamental problem with the rear of this car.
“They’re kind of skirting around it at the moment, you wonder whether it is an individual issue, whether they’re going to be able to develop their way around it.
“Or whether at some point, they’re just going to go, we’re not going to be able to fix it and catch up with where the other guys are this year, we’re going to have to switch focus to 2026.”
The chequered flag falls in Japan 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/4k2tc0qslJ
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 6, 2025
F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve responded to Lazenby’s comments and said: “Well, you listen to Lewis and he gives credence to the rumour that something’s wrong at the rear, so they’re having to run it higher and so on.
“He said, there’s something going on, nobody has a clue why it’s happening, once we have a new bit, something new that’s built, the issue should go away.
“So, it sounds like a stiffness issue somewhere, something that’s happening, and it looks like they’re making a whole new bit because they’re not sure which one is creating the issue.”
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Lewis Hamilton admits Japanese Grand Prix was ‘tough’ due to lack of pace
Hamilton arrived at Ferrari hoping to achieve a record eighth world championship, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that something seismic is going to have to happen for that to be a possibility in 2025.
Mark Webber saw Hamilton getting annoyed in the Ferrari garage during qualifying, although while tensions are high, it’s not a surprise that he’s on edge at times during high-pressure situations.
Speaking after the race in his official press conference, Hamilton said: “That was a tough race for us today. We didn’t have the pace to challenge the top three, and that’s something we’ll be working hard to address ahead of the next rounds.
“I went with a setup that felt good overall, but it just didn’t give me everything I needed out there.
“The team’s been doing an incredible job, and we’ll keep pushing together to find those gains.”
Hamilton earned the same love as Michael Schumacher from the Tifosi after his Sprint Race win in China, but he’s going to need the team to perform much better if he wants to try and match the adulation for the German among the team’s fans.
