Ferrari's Winless 2025 Campaign: What Went Wrong?
Ferrari's 2025 season, despite pairing Charles Leclerc with new signing Lewis Hamilton, ended without a win. A flawed car concept, a costly disqualification in China, and operational missteps led to a drop from 2nd to 4th in the standings, with Hamilton failing to score a podium all year.
Ferrari entered the 2025 Formula 1 season with championship aspirations, fueled by the high-profile signing of Lewis Hamilton to partner Charles Leclerc. Instead, the Scuderia endured a frustrating and winless campaign, slipping from second to fourth in the Constructors' Championship and failing to secure a single victory for either of its star drivers.
Why it matters:
A winless season for F1's most historic team, especially after assembling a dream driver lineup, signals a significant competitive failure and a missed opportunity. The dramatic drop in the standings, despite increased resources and expectations, raises serious questions about the team's technical direction and operational execution during a critical period before the 2026 regulation reset.
The details:
- A Flawed Concept: The team's off-season decision to tweak the car's suspension for a more stable aerodynamic platform backfired. The SF-25 lacked the raw pace to consistently challenge front-runners like McLaren, leaving it in a competitive no-man's land.
- A Costly Setback in China: Both Leclerc and Hamilton were disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix for excessive plank wear. This forced the team to raise the car's ride height for subsequent races, sacrificing crucial performance in an era where running the car as low as possible is key.
- Driver Adaptation Gap: Charles Leclerc appeared more comfortable with the car's handling, securing back-to-back podiums in Monaco and Spain. In contrast, Lewis Hamilton struggled throughout the year to extract its maximum potential over a single lap in qualifying and failed to score a single podium finish—a first in his F1 career.
- Operational Missteps: Strategy and team coordination were inconsistent. In Miami, Hamilton was stuck behind Leclerc on fresher tires, losing the window to attack ahead. A botched last-lap position swap attempt in Azerbaijan saw Hamilton accidentally cross the line ahead, costing the team a potential place.
The big picture:
The 2025 season represents a stark reversal of momentum for Ferrari. After narrowly missing the 2024 Constructors' title, the team failed to build on that platform. As the year progressed, development focus increasingly shifted to the 2026 car, making immediate competitiveness even harder to achieve. The combination of an uncompetitive car, operational errors, and the immense pressure of integrating a seven-time champion created a perfect storm of underperformance.
What's next:
All attention now turns to the 2026 technical regulations, which Ferrari hopes will provide a reset button. The team must demonstrate it can translate its massive resources and technical ambition into a coherent and reliable package. For 2025, the challenge is one of damage limitation and learning, but the pressure is immense to ensure the promised 'future project' delivers the return to winning ways that this season so clearly lacked.