How can we explain Ferrari's setbacks after the Qatar Grand Prix?

Just like in Las Vegas, Lewis Hamilton suffered another major setback in qualifying, eliminated twice in the first part of the session before the Sprint, and again before the Grand Prix. Just like in Las Vegas, Charles Leclerc was unable to secure a position higher than mid-pack, despite becoming a regular on the podium during the first two-thirds of the year. In Qatar, the situation appeared worrying for Ferrariand this is due to many cumulative factors.

From a psychological standpoint, the drivers appear particularly affected by the end of this 2025 season. F1With Charles Leclerc himself admitting to Canal+ that the fight for second place in the Constructors' Championship was no longer even a concrete objective for him, the Monegasque driver seems to have thrown in the towel as well. For his part, a resigned Lewis Hamilton explained in a press conference that he expected nothing new from the last two races of the year, preferring to look ahead to the winter break before even focusing on 2026. Exhausted by this collective failure, the drivers and key members of Scuderia Ferrari may well no longer be able to muster the same energy given the magnitude of the task ahead.

A still risky execution at Ferrari

From a sporting perspective, at least two factors explain the final situation in which the most successful team of all time finds itself at the end of this promising season. The cessation of structural development of the SF-25 as early as April, the introduction of a new rear suspension that was costly in terms of time and resources but did not fundamentally change Ferrari's pure performance, and the cancellation of certain aerodynamic parts planned from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix onwards… This is the picture that must be painted when trying to explain how the current year has unfolded in Maranello.

So, in addition to having to negotiate the Grands Prix with an unfinished car, sacrificed in favor of the hopes of 2026 and its new regulations, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had to deal with a setup reflecting a missed approach by their team at Losail. "We simply haven't found the right settings." Frédéric Vasseur explained to our colleagues at AMuS after the race. "The high tire pressures imposed were undoubtedly a factor. From the very first race here in Qatar, we were in a difficult situation."

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Inadequate preparation in Qatar

With the power steering also having been inadequately adjusted from Friday's Free Practice – which partly explains the particularly slippery nature of the Ferrari throughout the weekend – Frédéric Vasseur was somewhat fatalistic when assessing the situation. "This probably partially masked the tuning problem." he admitted.

After the disastrous sprint race for both Scuderia drivers, the conclusion was inescapable. At Ferrari, a clean slate was necessary, even if everything couldn't be salvaged overnight. “We completely rebuilt the car before qualifying,” Frédéric Vasseur revealedIt was a little better. But there wasn't much we could do if the others were just fine-tuning their setups. The small gaps in qualifying didn't help us. And because of the minimal tire wear, it wasn't possible to make any progress in the race.

The Italian team's perennial problem, a lack of qualifying performance, is proving costly for Ferrari this season. Regardless of track conditions or heat, Ferrari had already missed its opportunity before arriving at Losail. In Abu Dhabi, the focus will be on transition, with the sole objective of moving into the 2026 season.