Why Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are unhappy with Ferrari as internal ‘doubts’ emerge about 2025 F1 car

The beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season has been mixed to say the least for Ferrari, and the Chinese Grand Prix summed up their turbulent beginning to the campaign perfectly.

Hopes were high for Ferrari after narrowly missing out on the constructors’ championship last season and recruiting seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to get them over the line.

Aside from changing from a push rod to a pull rod suspension, team principal Frederic Vasseur has overseen the creation of a car that hasn’t made anywhere near as many bold design choices as this year’s McLaren, for example.

Unfortunately, there’s been very little consistency in the performance of Hamilton or Charles Leclerc’s car.

They impressed in practice at the Australian Grand Prix before locking out the fourth row of the grid and barely featuring in the top 10 after a disastrous strategy call and lack of pace throughout the race.

Hamilton then recorded a brilliant Sprint Race victory in China before both cars were well off the pace of the McLarens, Max Verstappen and George Russell.

Both Ferraris were then disqualified, leaving both drivers questioning the SF-25 and surfacing doubts that existed within the team about their development direction over the winter.

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Lewis Hamilton and Charles unhappy with Ferrari’s lack of competitiveness

Italian journalist Leo Turrini was writing on his blog after the race in Shanghai and shared not only his thoughts on how the Scuderia performed but what he had heard from within the team.

He said: “Double disqualification for two different irregularities. I exclude bad faith, that is, there was no intention to cheat.

“But the episode is serious. Very serious, there’s no point in beating around the bush.

“I have no memory of a similar case for the Lady in Red. Let’s say that Fred Vasseur did not deserve to enter the history of the Prancing Horse in this way. And I’m being kind.”

“I think the double disqualification is the result of the SF-25. It was born complicated [and that’s an understatement]. Very difficult to set up. It’s a Rubik’s cube on four wheels.”

Team Statement pic.twitter.com/BdV24Y3cFV

— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 23, 2025

“I had reported in time the [internal] doubts that accompanied the technical solutions launched for this single-seater.

“And here we must be clear between ourselves. At the end of 2024, McLaren was the best car, but Ferrari was there.

‘There is no clarity within the team. I wouldn’t want the project to be too complicated, because they are having a hell of a time finding the balance of the car.

“The drivers aren’t happy either, they don’t have the belief that they have a vehicle that allows them to always be competitive.”

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Ferrari ‘anxiety’ may have caused Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s disqualifications

For the first time in Ferrari’s 75-year history in Formula 1, they saw both of their drivers disqualified from the same race in Shanghai.

It will be even more frustrating for Vasseur that Leclerc and Hamilton were excluded for different reasons.

Ferrari may have had anxiety about their performance levels, which caused the team’s disqualification, and this is something that has to be solved quickly.

A change in Ferrari’s cars compared to last season might be why both drivers were excluded, and if that’s the case, then the break ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix should give them the time to identify a solution.

The margins at the front of the grid are minuscule, and, understandably, Ferrari are trying to push the limits.

However, losing out on their points haul in China is going to set them back in both championships for a completely avoidable reason, and the drivers’ frustration is completely justified on this occasion.