Inside Ferrari’s struggle: a promising project bogged down
Ferrari’s season has drifted from expectation to exasperation. Team boss Frédéric Vasseur has alluded to a "mega frustrating" pattern holding the Scuderia back, while Charles Leclerc — once seen as the standard-bearer for a renaissance — is increasingly blunt about a campaign that has not delivered.
From 2022 promise to 2025 stagnation
Ferrari’s early strength under the 2022 rules reset faded as Red Bull surged clear. Management changes, including Vasseur’s arrival, gradually steadied the ship, and 2024 brought wins in Monaco and Italy. With Leclerc joined by Lewis Hamilton, 2025 was supposed to be the push to the summit. Instead, results have been scarce: no grand prix wins so far, just a sprint victory in China, and a car that trails McLaren on outright pace.
Updates miss the mark, rivals pull ahead
While Red Bull has continued to evolve its package and McLaren has set the benchmark in several phases of the season, Ferrari’s SF-25 has struggled to respond. In Singapore, Mercedes, Red Bull (Max Verstappen) and McLaren looked evenly matched at the front, leaving Ferrari to pick up crumbs. Both Leclerc and Hamilton were forced to carefully manage brakes in the early laps — and in Hamilton’s case, the component failed.
Leclerc’s stark assessment
Leclerc has described feeling like a "passenger" in the car and admitted he doesn’t expect a late-season turnaround. He remains contracted through 2026, but the Monegasque’s belief in the project is being tested. Ferrari knows the assignment: deliver a car that can genuinely challenge for titles — soon — or risk losing its star driver’s faith.
What Vasseur sees
Without detailing specifics, Vasseur’s "mega frustrating" refrain hints at repeatable, systemic setbacks — the kind that undo weekend potential and undermine progress. Ferrari’s task now is to break that cycle, find dependable development gains, and translate them into results.
Outlook
With 2026’s new regulations on the horizon, Ferrari must reclaim momentum before the reset. The ingredients are there; the execution must follow.
