Ferrari’s 2025 F1 car has a major issue that the team has struggled to fix since early in the season, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc being disqualified in the second round.
Hamilton had just won the Sprint race in China, showing what the car could do. But when he was disqualified from the main race for excessive plank wear, it forced Ferrari to raise their ride height.
This change cost Ferrari some downforce, but it ensured they stayed within the rules. To help manage this further, drivers now lift and coast more often during races – something they insist is now standard practice across the grid.
This year alone they have picked up seven podiums but have not managed a single win from 21 races. The team is also projected to finish the championship outside the top three, which would be only the fourth time since 1993.
Enrico Cardile under fire from Ferrari engineers for 2025 car issues
It could be argued that the roots of Ferrari’s current issues stretch back to the 2024 season. That year, they looked closer than ever to ending their title drought, winning five races and finishing just 14 points behind McLaren in the Constructors’ standings.
However, things took a turn in July when technical director Enrico Cardile resigned. The very next day, Aston Martin announced they had signed him. The Maranello outfit had already secured Loic Serra from Mercedes, but he joined too late to have any real impact on the SF-25’s development.
This left Ferrari working with Cardile’s original plans, but without him there to oversee the final stages. Team principal Fred Vasseur stepped in as interim technical director but could not give the role his full attention.
Motorsport Italia reported that some within Ferrari point to Cardile’s influence as a reason for this season’s struggles. But that view does not consider that aerodynamics chief Diego Tondi and chassis head Fabio Montecchi were also key figures behind their design.
Lewis Hamilton’s feedback caused ‘resentment’ at Ferrari
While the engineers may be deflecting blame and the pit crew have performed well, there are now indications that some within Ferrari are starting to point fingers at the drivers.
Chairman John Elkann, in a rare interview, advised Hamilton and Leclerc to “talk less” and instead concentrate on their driving.
The comments followed reports that some staff resented feedback from Hamilton, who had compiled a detailed review of team operations shortly after joining.
The Briton has not matched Leclerc’s performance this season, though his experience is still seen as valuable.
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