Scuderia Ferrari made some bold predictions ahead of the season: Title challengers? Championship contenders? Or the best of the rest? Fast forward to 2025 and Ferrari has left its loyal supporters wondering if ‘Next Year™’ has become part of their permanent vocabulary.
What was supposed to be Ferrari’s breakthrough year turned into a masterclass in disappointment. Questionable strategies and technical setbacks turned their planned comeback into another season of struggle.
So, what went wrong? Let’s analyse the statistics and performance, and address the burning question: will Ferrari finally bounce back in 2026?
Crunching the Numbers
Ferrari secured fourth place in the Constructors’ Championships, just shy of their 2024 result when they finished second as runners-up to McLaren, who clinched first place in the Constructors’ Championships this year for the second consecutive year. Ferrari’s points total also fell from 646 in 2024 to 398. Their drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (the latter of whom joined Ferrari this year), finished fifth and sixth respectively. This was worse than the team’s 2024 results, when their drivers finished third (Leclerc) and fifth (Carlos Sainz, who moved to Williams following Hamilton’s surprise exit from Mercedes).
| Statistic | 2025 season | 2024 season |
| Constructors’ Championship standing | 4th | 2nd |
| Drivers’ Championship standing | 5th (Leclerc) 6th (Hamilton) | 3rd (Leclerc) 5th (Sainz) |
| Individual driver points scored | 242 (Leclerc) 156 (Hamilton) | 356 (Leclerc) 290 (Sainz) |
| Total points scored | 398 | 646 |
An uphill Battle
The 2025 Formula 1 season got off to a rocky start for the red team, with Leclerc finishing in 8th place and Hamilton in 10th place at the Australian Grand Prix. The second race of the season at the Shanghai International Circuit was even more disappointing when both drivers were disqualified, with Leclerc finishing in 18th place and Hamilton in 19th. Unfortunately, they were unlucky for the rest of the season. Whilst Leclerc secured seven podium finishes, his teammate Hamilton failed to achieve one for the first time in his Formula 1 career. Despite these setbacks, Hamilton remains optimistic about the 2026 season, writing on Instagram: ‘New year, new drive. Same mission.” Fans are left waiting to see whether the mission will be successful.
An Autopsy of the SF-25
The S5-25 upgrades were expected to mark a turning point in Ferrari’s performance. Most delivered a gentle curve. Despite its high performance potential and improved aerodynamics compared to the previous season, the SF-25 ultimately lacked the speed, consistency and stability crucial for success in Formula 1. The SF-25’s inconsistent pacing, setup sensitivity, and unreliability meant that it was ineffective against the other twenty drivers vying for first place. Now that the SF-26 has officially debuted, all eyes will be on Ferrari to see if the team has overcome the sensitivity, performance and development issues that led to the early retirement of the SF-25.
Strategy: The Ferrari cinematic Universe
Ferrari’s race-by-race strategies had us all on the edge of our seats, and not in a good way. The team’s 2025 strategies were epitomised by the British Grand Prix, where bad weather, car issues, poor strategy and GPS failure led to Hamilton’s downfall. He narrowly missed out on a podium finish to Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber (now Audi), who scored his first ever podium finish. Having finished in the top three in all of the previous twelve races at Silverstone, fans all over the world were confident that Hamilton would peak in his home race. However, he ultimately finished fourth due to poor team strategy: he was pulled into the pit stop after eleven laps, causing him to drop four places and incur delays for several laps in a row. Another premature tyre change to slicks and poor car performance cemented Hamilton’s fourth-place finish, leaving the Brit understandably frustrated.
Redemption in red?
From new uniforms to technical upgrades, Ferrari is certainly aiming to rewrite the 2025 narrative and establish itself firmly in the new season. With technical upgrades in place and renewed determination from drivers and fans alike, anything could happen on 8 March at the Melbourne Grand Prix circuit, where the outcome will be revealed. Will Ferrari finally deliver on its promise? Can they bounce back? Or is Ferrari simply dying a long and slow death?
Featured Image Credit: formula1
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