After a less than stellar performance at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari’s star driver Charles Leclerc has pulled back the curtain on the team’s struggles. The Monegasque racer candidly identified two glaring problems that have left the Ferrari team scrambling to regain their footing in the world of motorsport.
Despite not having the fastest car on the track, Leclerc believed the unpredictable Australian weather could have played in their favor. Unfortunately, a combination of strategic mishaps and personal errors saw him crossing the finish line in a disappointing eighth place instead of the projected fifth.
Leclerc was candid in his assessment of the race, stating, “We weren’t the fastest out there but in such weather conditions, there was a chance of scoring some big points which we didn’t capitalise on.”
He went on to detail the two primary obstacles that marred Ferrari’s performance. Leclerc owned up to his personal mistake at Turn 11, which resulted in the loss of several key positions. While the subsequent arrival of a Safety Car minimized the fallout, the Ferrari team’s decision to delay the switch to intermediate tires ended up being a costly misstep.
Leclerc stressed the need for a thorough evaluation of the team’s decision-making process to avoid repeating such mistakes in future races. He outlined, “The first is easy, it was my mistake. The second is something we will sort out as a team, looking into our decisions and making sure we make the right call if the situation comes up again.”
Ferrari’s wet-weather woes were further exacerbated by a lack of clear communication and delayed responses to changing conditions. These areas of concern need to be urgently addressed if Ferrari hopes to compete for the podium in upcoming races.
Adding to Ferrari’s litany of issues was the frustration of Leclerc’s new teammate, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. In a post-race interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton didn’t mince words when describing the SF25 as “really, really hard to drive.”
Hamilton’s feedback underscores the team’s difficulty in achieving consistent performance with the new power unit, particularly under challenging weather conditions. It’s a wake-up call for Ferrari to not only reevaluate their strategic decisions but also focus on improving their car’s performance and handling.
The road to recovery for the Maranello-based team is steep. Leclerc’s critique suggests that Ferrari has to step up their game in terms of decision-making and car setup to remain competitive in the fast-paced world of Formula 1 racing.
The pressure is on for Ferrari to turn things around in the upcoming races. Will they be able to make the necessary modifications in time? Only the future races will tell. But one thing is clear – Ferrari needs a swift and effective response to these issues if they are to return to their former glory.