This weekend in Shanghai should be called a red disaster. From Hamilton on pole to double disqualification, the Chinese GP weekend left a bitter taste in the mouths of Ferrari and many others. The same one that makes one think that in addition to the obvious differences between the Maranello single-seater and the others, compared to last year, there is really a need for consider the clear signal of what is not going to the Prancing Horse pits. It also raises the question of what the right question to ask is. Is the team management the problem? Or the drivers? And what if we are instead coming to the realization that the SF-25 is really too ambitious a project?
It is that this could be the cause of a dream gone up in smoke. Although Ferrari has not been excellent in recent years, second place in the Constructors' Championship seemed to guarantee something more than a defeat already evident in the first two Grands Prix. The Reds are already known for their ability to alternate moments of exaltation with collapses, but we did not expect to see an example of this chronic inconsistency immediately. A team that goes from the joy of a pole position and a first place in the Sprint Race with Hamilton, to a senseless disqualification. A disappointment for the Tifosi, but above all for Vasseur, on a Sunday full of hopes that should have marked a step forward and instead revealed once again all of Maranello's unsolved problems.
Ferrari's Illusion Saturday: Hamilton's P1 and Dashed Hopes in China
Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari has raised great expectations. The seven-time champion, known for getting the most out of every car, is seen as the right man to bring the Prancing Horse back to the top. And for a moment, on Saturday, it seemed possible.: with a perfect lap, the Briton showed that this year's SF-25, in the right conditions, can be competitive. But the signs of a difficult Sunday were already evident in Leclerc's race, between pace problems and tyre management.
And so it was: a disastrous race. Uncertain strategy, underestimated tire degradation and Hamilton having trouble controlling the car, so much so that he asked to let his teammate pass. To complicate things, the initial accident between the Ferraris, with damage to Leclerc's front wing. And finally, the final blow: the post-race disqualification of both cars.
The summons from the commissioners
Charles Leclerc was in fact summoned by the stewards for a weight irregularity immediately after the Chinese GP. The SF-25, deprived of fuel, fell below the minimum of 800 kg by just 1 kg, violating theArticle 4.1 of the Technical Regulations. Same situation for Pierre Gasly. And when the problems seemed over, the bottom check also suffered by other drivers, led Lewis Hamilton to suffer the same fate: excessive wear of the rear skid block led the FIA to detect measurements lower than the minimum 9 mm required. A problem that already cost him disqualification at Austin 2023. Result? Ferrari home without a point.
Unforgivable mistakes in Maranello: what's going on?
How is it possible that a team with the resources and experience of Ferrari continues to commit such carelessness? An irregularity of this kind is not only a problem of interpretation of the regulation, but a sign of a lack of control over the details. In a championship where we think in thousandths, an oversight like this is unacceptable.. Even Leo Turrini spoke about it, in a consideration full of optimism and pessimism at the same time. On the one hand, there is optimism for some technical choices; on the other, significant doubts persist, including those regarding the pull-rod suspension. After the winter tests, expectations were not met, despite the efforts of Vasseur, who was immediately committed to improving the single-seater.
The fact is that Ferrari's problem goes beyond the China episode. For years, Scuderia has alternated brilliant performances with gross errors. In 2022, strategic race management compromised Leclerc’s title chances. In 2023, technical developments did not deliver the desired results. In 2024, the team struggled to maintain consistency. And now, in 2025, in addition to the competitiveness problems, there are also regulatory errors. Yet it seemed that the French engineer's direction was based on starting from scratch, not from previous errors.
Ferrari crisis: is it already being talked about?
The situation is therefore delicate, yet not irreparable. The season is still long and there is time to recover. But the changes must be immediate and drastic. It is unacceptable that a team like this makes trivial regulatory errors, that the pit wall acts as a weak point in any area and that decisions penalize the drivers rather than help them. Hamilton is used to fighting for the title and certainly does not want to waste the last years of his career in a project that is not taking off. Leclerc, for his part, has already been put to the test by seasons of ups and downs, and the risk is that his confidence in the team will erode further and further. Ferrari must demonstrate to its drivers that it is up to the challenge.
If the 2025 season started with great expectations, but the Chinese GP highlighted all the current limitations of Ferrari, the double disqualification needs to be the latest chapter in a series of unfortunate episodes. So the right question is not whether Ferrari is fast enough, but whether Maranello can manage a season without getting lost in a glass of water. As long as we continue to make avoidable mistakes and oscillate between illusions and disasters, the dream of the world title will remain exactly that: a dream.
