Ferrari disaster? ‘Not a complete disaster’ despite Hamilton’s ‘worst season’ complaint

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has dismissed the notion that 2025 has been a “complete disaster” for Ferrari despite the team’s hopes of a championship podium fading in recent weeks.

With two races, and a maximum of 101 points in play, Ferrari sits fourth in the Constructors’ Championship on 378 points, 13 down on Red Bull and 53 behind Mercedes. The Scuderia has exactly half the points of the championship-winning McLaren team.

Ferrari has dropped off the F1 2025 podium

The only team in the top four without a grand prix win on the board, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton can also count himself as one of only two drivers within those top four teams who haven’t stood on the podium.

It had Hamilton bemoaning in Las Vegas: “Terrible. It’s been the worst season ever. No matter how much I try, it keeps getting worse.”

But while Hamilton’s complaints made headlines, his teammate Charles Leclerc wasn’t happy either as he labelled Ferrari’s speed in qualifying “f***ing embarrassing”, adding: “I don’t get how we can be so off the pace.”

Their comments come in the wake of Ferrari president John Elkann launching a broadside at the Formula 1 team after Ferrari’s championship double in the World Endurance Championship when he declared that some people are Ferrari are “not up to par”.

But is it as dismal as it looks?

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says no.

F1 2025: The season’s winners and losers

👉 The results of the F1 2025 championship

👉 The updated Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship standings

“For sure we are not in the situation that we didn’t score points the last weekend,” the Frenchman told the media, “but we were P2 in the championship two weeks ago.

“It’s not that it was a complete disaster.

“For me disaster is not the right word, but the tough side is that the last two weekends that we scored six or seven points on two weekends [ed’s note: prior to McLaren’s DSQ].

“Before this, in the championship we were in front of Mercedes and Red Bull. It means that it’s not so dramatic.

“Now I can perfectly understand the drivers, they want to get more. And trust me that in the debriefing on the Monday morning at the factory I’m also a bit harsh.

“But it’s our DNA that we want to get more in any case. And I think Max, on a Monday morning, he will try also to get more from his team, from everybody to do a better job.

“This is the DNA of everybody into the paddock, it’s not a drama.”

Ferrari was second in the championship after the Mexican Grand Prix, a single point ahead of Mercedes.

But a double DNF in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix cost the team dearly on a day when Mercedes and Red Bull both put one car on the podium. Leclerc was taken out of the race through no fault of his own, while crash damage forced Hamilton to also retire. Ferrari dropped from second to fourth in the stanidngs.

Mercedes went on to score a double podium in Las Vegas, surging ahead in the fight to finish runner-up behind McLaren, while Max Verstappen’s fourth grand prix win in seven races meant Red Bull extended its lead over Ferrari to 13 points.

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