Ferrari head into the 2025 summer break in need of a serious reset after a frustrating start to the season.
Despite sitting second in the constructors’ championship, Ferrari remain the only team in the top four without a win. Their five podiums so far have all come from Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc looked set to change that at the Hungarian GP after taking pole, but McLaren’s pace and a poor strategy call dropped him to P4. Afterwards, he had to be calmed down before speaking to media.
This has been a recurring theme for Ferrari this year. They have struggled with both car balance and race strategy, though the Monegasque driver has still managed five podiums. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has not found similar form.
The seven-time champion is still searching for his first podium with Ferrari. Since his Sprint win in Shanghai, it has been a tough stretch. After starting and finishing 12th in Budapest, Hamilton even suggested Ferrari might want to consider replacing him.
Juan Pablo Montoya believes Ferrari are just starting to ‘realise’ their foundation is lacking
Ferrari are not ignoring Hamilton’s comments, but there is little sign the team plans to act on them. What it does show is that there is plenty of work needed back in Maranello, and Juan Pablo Montoya believes they are starting to notice it.
Speaking to AS Colombia, the former F1 driver said Ferrari are aware their ‘foundation’ is not up to standard, leaving Hamilton and Leclerc with a car that feels unpredictable.
“I really think it’s not a question of age, it’s a question of Hamilton spending many years driving a certain type of car and a certain type of feeling,” Montoya explained.
“And the Ferrari was completely different, and the Ferrari is not an easy car to drive. And I think Ferrari is realising that what they have, their foundation, is not good.
“It’s an unpredictable car, a complicated car and they have to step back a bit from what they’re doing because what they’re doing isn’t going to work for them.”
Lewis Hamilton has not held back in his criticism of Ferrari’s setup in 2025
Hamilton has never really adapted to the ground effect era that began in 2022. He described the Mercedes as ‘unpredictable’ and now faces similar issues at Ferrari, though there may be deeper problems behind the scenes.
He has been sending detailed reports to Ferrari on how he believes both the car and team operations could improve. While this is not unusual for a driver, it stands out more at a team like Ferrari.
What is different here is that Hamilton is openly questioning Ferrari’s traditional methods, something even Michael Schumacher did not do. The team has long been set in their ways and slow to embrace change.
Hamilton’s reports highlighted three main areas of concern, covering both the car and broader team issues. With Ferrari now at risk of dropping out of second place in the standings, there may be growing recognition within Maranello that Hamilton’s concerns were valid from the start.
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