Breaking:Fred Vasseur:Charles and Hamilton explain Ferrari’s disappointing re…read more

The 2025 Formula 1 season kicked off with high expectations for Scuderia Ferrari and its drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, especially on the Melbourne circuit. After promising winter testing and a positive first day of free practice, the team was optimistic about fighting for pole position. However, Ferrari’s SF-25 car struggled during qualifying, leaving them far behind McLaren, who took the front two spots. Ferrari ended up on the fourth row, and the team was left to reflect on the disappointing result. Fred Vasseur, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton all shared their thoughts on the performance and the reasons behind the setback.

Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur expressed his disappointment but remained calm, stressing that one poor qualifying session would not define the season. Despite Ferrari being nearly seven-tenths of a second behind McLaren, Vasseur believes this gap doesn’t fully represent the potential of the SF-25. He remains hopeful that the race pace, which showed promise during the long stints of Friday’s practice sessions, will allow them to recover positions during the race. He acknowledged that the weather, particularly the rain forecast for the race, could also impact the situation and potentially shift the balance.

Lewis Hamilton, who made his Ferrari debut this season, was eager to perform well but found adapting to the SF-25 more challenging than he expected. Hamilton, who had hoped to hit the ground running, admitted that it took considerable effort to adjust to the car’s characteristics. He revealed that it was a steep learning curve and required him to modify his driving style, which made his qualifying performance less than ideal.

Charles Leclerc, one of Ferrari’s long-standing talents, had shown strong form during Friday’s free practice but found himself struggling in the final phase of qualifying. Leclerc made a mistake on his second run in Q3, preventing him from improving his time. While the result was disappointing, he stated that he understood the reasons behind his struggles. Leclerc also hinted that Ferrari had made strategic choices that might have contributed to their less competitive performance in qualifying. Although he didn’t elaborate on specifics, he suggested that the forecasted rain could have played a role in these decisions, possibly affecting the setup or tire strategy for the session.

Despite the setbacks, Ferrari remains hopeful. With the race yet to come and favorable weather conditions potentially offering a different challenge, the team is determined to recover and make up for the disappointing qualifying result. Vasseur and the drivers are looking ahead to the race, where Ferrari will aim to show more of the SF-25’s true potential