When the announcement of Lewis Hamilton signing for Ferrari was made last year, it shocked the Formula 1 world. The thought of a driver lineup consisting of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton instantly made people think that Ferrari could reclaim their former glory and that the British driver could win his eighth world championship.
Despite all of the uncertainty around Ferrari in terms of their car’s competitiveness for this season, the initial belief was they would be among the favorites for both championships. However, despite the fact that we are only one race into the 2025 season, ruling them out as a contender for either championship is not an overreaction.
We knew that it would take some time for Hamilton to adjust at Ferrari, but it seems like the issues are rooted deeper. When preseason testing wrapped up in Bahrain a few weeks ago, the belief was that Ferrari was “sandbagging”, having produced times that made them the fourth fastest on the grid.
Competition this season is cutthroat
In the final year of current regulations, it appears that all teams have made improvements in some shape or form. However, what switched up the pecking order from 2024 was the difference in development. For example, it appears that Wiliams and Alpine have improved massively from last season and have gained significant ground on the Maranello-based squad.
In a season during which every race and point will matter, Ferrari cannot afford simple miscommunications and errors. Both Hamilton and Leclerc expressed frustration with some race engineers in the season opener, and typically these are things you do not see with any other team.
But aside from the development of those mid-field teams, there seem to be three clear reasons why Ferrari are out of contention for the top spot already: McLaren are simply ahead, Max Verstappen’s heroics will carry Red Bull yet again, and Mercedes are bound to be far more consistent than Ferrari.
Having said that, there are still 23 races left on the schedule, and things can turn around for Ferrari. But finishing behind a Sauber and a Williams in Australia after having such high expectations for this season is not a good look at all. The Chinese Grand Prix this weekend should be a better representative of Ferrari's capabilities.