Ferrari confirmed fourth in 2025 championship after difficult Qatar weekend
In Qatar, the math confirmed Ferrari’s fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, following a weekend that was extremely challenging for the team. Team Principal Frederic Vasseur explained that finding the right setup was made even harder by the high tire pressures mandated by Pirelli to cope with the extreme lateral loads of Lusail’s fast corners, which were above the seasonal average, though still lower than in Las Vegas. Throughout the weekend, the drivers struggled with a car that was restless in high-speed sections and understeered in slow corners, particularly Lewis Hamilton, who found it harder than Charles Leclerc to manage the light rear end. Lewis received some relief from the retirement of the temperamental ground-effect cars, which he had never fully adapted to.
It is undeniable that Ferrari is suffering from a general lack of competitiveness, an issue that has persisted since the start of the season and was exacerbated by the decision to halt development at the end of April, openly confirmed by Fred Vasseur in Qatar. This admission raises some questions, though not regarding the value of focusing resources on the 2026 car. Development is not just about working on the current car; it is about analyzing mistakes, reinforcing fundamentals, and strengthening simulation and design methodologies—processes that go beyond the current regulations. As Laurent Mekies explained regarding Red Bull, the RB21 was continuously developed “to understand what had limited the project,” in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future. Ferrari had valid reasons to stop investing in the SF-25 early, but those same reasons could have justified extending development to trace the root causes of its weaknesses.
A lesson and a warning for the future
Looking toward 2026, the FIA and Formula 1 are also considering several proposals for the future. Among these is the suggestion to introduce a double mandatory pit stop, which, in Qatar, while enforced for safety reasons, proved largely ineffective in terms of enhancing the spectacle. Lusail is a track that is notoriously difficult for overtaking, and the solution does not lie in forcing two tire stops. On the contrary, it worsens the situation by shortening stints and allowing drivers to push almost flat out without management, thereby minimizing the differences in pace between the cars. The lessons from Qatar should be carefully considered for the future, as should McLaren’s experience, which hopes to avoid paying too high a price for the mistakes made at Lusail.
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