Ferrari not obsessed with winning the title at Fuji

Ferrari could clinch the Constructors' title this weekend at Fuji, but Mauro Barbieri prefers to remain cautious in the Italian clan.

Published 26/09/2025 à 07:00

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Ferrari not obsessed with winning the title at Fuji

Photo Julien Delfosse / DPPI

After an outrageously dominated first half of the season with four wins in as many races from Qatar to Le Mans, Ferrari has been a little further behind since then. Outside of the points in São Paulo, the Italian manufacturer nevertheless returned to the podium in Austin with second place for the No. 50 of Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen and Antonio Fuoco.

The Prancing Horse can leave Japan with the Constructors' Championship in its pocket if it has 66 points more than its nearest rival at the checkered flag on Sunday. The solution might not be so simple, however, since the Japanese track is not best suited to the characteristics of the 499P. In 2024, the best of them finished in 9th place.

« This circuit, a bit like São Paulo, doesn't really seem to suit our car, said Mauro Barbieri, Head of Performance and Governance Relations for the cars ofEndurance from Ferrari, to the media present in Japan, including AUTOhebdo. We tried to change our approach a little, we'll see if it works better. However, I remind you that last year, two out of three cars were out of the race on the second lap. This result therefore did not reflect our true potential at Fuji. »

No team orders at Ferrari

While the long straight and the surface suit the Italian machine, it is in the climb towards Mount Fuji that it suffers. The last sector, very winding, is more difficult for us, deciphers Barbieri. We try to adapt our car every year, but last year's early accident didn't allow us to show our true level. We hope to be able to do so this year. »

Indeed, a failed braking by Robert Kubica at the wheel of the No. 83 at the end of the main straight resulted in a multi-car accident in which the No. 51 was also involved. Both cars continued, but the factory car retired at the end of the race while the privateer finished two laps behind the Porsche victorious.

Despite the possibility of being champion this weekend, Ferrari is not obsessed with it. Of course we want to win the championship, it's a dream, assures Barbieri. However, this doesn't change our approach: stay out of trouble, avoid accidents, and optimize performance. Furthermore, we're not competing against just one manufacturer, but two (Porsche and Cadillac), which complicates the calculations considerably. We'll see after the checkered flag whether this will be enough or whether it will all come down to Bahrain. »

In the same vein, potential team instructions are excluded for the moment. "We'll think about it when the time comes," Barbieri assures. "On the manufacturer side, since all the other cars (the privateer ones) are 'transparent,' it won't change much. For the drivers' championship, the standings are still quite open. So it's a little early to think about concluding it right now. »

Interview by Valentin Glo, in Fuji.