Something is Brewing in Maranello: Ferrari’s Crisis Under the Spotlight

In the high-stakes world of Formula 1, few names carry as much weight as Ferrari—an institution built on legacy, passion, and relentless expectation. Yet as the 2025 season unfolds, the celebrated “Scuderia” finds itself mired in turmoil once again. Something is brewing in Maranello, and it’s not just another upgrade package.

Billed as the dawn of a renaissance for Ferrari, the current campaign has quickly descended into a crisis management operation marked by technical woes, frustrated drivers, and a team boss under siege. Underneath the trademark red, cracks are showing—and whispers of change have begun to swirl just as loudly as the engines on race day.

Big Promises, Harsh Reality: What Went Wrong?

After a winter testing phase that teased a return to form, optimism bloomed in Maranello. The SF25, Ferrari’s latest charger, was touted as the machine that would deliver a sustained championship bid and finally dethrone the perennial favorites, Red Bull. With the marquee signing of Lewis Hamilton—a seven-time world champion hungry for one last shot at history—Ferrari fans dared to dream again. Charles Leclerc’s loyalty and skill, paired with Hamilton’s winning pedigree, looked like a title-winning recipe.

Yet just a handful of races in, the mood has soured. Ferrari sits second in the constructors’ standings, but the figure is misleading: the team hasn’t claimed a Grand Prix win, and its podiums have been salvaged via sprints or fortuitous safety car periods. In raw qualifying and race pace, Ferrari has often looked like only the fourth-best team, sometimes eclipsed by not only Red Bull and McLaren, but also Mercedes and Aston Martin on occasion.

Hamilton and Leclerc: Voices of Frustration

To make matters worse, the frustration within the camp is becoming impossible to hide. Hamilton, rarely one for public complaints, has already been candid about his disappointment, describing the SF25 as “unpredictable” and at times “undrivable.” His trust in Ferrari’s technical direction seems to be wavering—a worrying prospect given he was lured with promises of championship credentials, not a midfield struggle. Sources within Ferrari even suggest Hamilton’s relationship with the technical department has become strained, as setup changes to aid one driver often come at the cost of another, exposing fundamental flaws in the team’s developmental philosophy.

Leclerc, never as publicly outspoken as Hamilton, is nonetheless said to be equally concerned behind the scenes. The result: a divided engineering group, an unsettled driver lineup, and a strategic department whose reactions are increasingly reactive rather than deliberate.

Frederic Vasseur: Steady Hand or Sinking Ship?

At the heart of this storm sits Team Principal Frederic Vasseur, who originally arrived as the antidote to the drama and indecision of the Binotto era. In his first year, Vasseur was praised for his calm, methodical approach and ability to restore a sense of order. Yet two seasons in, critics in the fiercely demanding Italian media now characterize his demeanor as indecision rather than composure. Every tactical misstep, every missed opportunity, is ammunition for those calling for his removal.

Reports have even surfaced of Ferrari exploring replacements behind closed doors—a suggestion that chairman John Elkann’s patience is wearing thin. One particularly explosive rumor claimed Ferrari had quietly approached Christian Horner of Red Bull, a story Horner himself denied but which, crucially, nobody found entirely implausible. In F1, perception matters as much as performance. As doubts swirl, the pressure on Vasseur to steady the ship—and quickly—is immense.

Technical Turmoil: The SF25’s Flaws Run Deep

Ferrari’s technical struggles are not simply a matter of missing a few tenths here and there. The SF25’s performance window is alarmingly narrow, only occasionally able to find the right balance of downforce, tire management, and adaptability. Across a range of circuits and conditions, the car alternates between flashes of promise and near total unpredictability. Every effort to improve the car’s pace has traded away vital rear stability, putting both drivers in a bind and resulting in lackluster performance stints.

Insiders say the engineering team is frustrated by the lack of progress as rivals march forward. McLaren’s leap, Mercedes’ return to form, and Red Bull’s continued consistency have left Ferrari looking unprepared, their incremental gains consumed by persistent, systemic issues.

A Leadership Dilemma with No Easy Way Out

Changing a team principal mid-season—never mind amid a major project—would be a high-stakes move, fraught with peril. Such changes tend to disrupt technical feedback loops, undermine driver confidence, and send organizational momentum into a tailspin. Yet for Ferrari, the risk of inaction may be even greater than making a radical change.

The bigger question looming over Maranello: Can a team plan for a future when it’s not sure who will be leading them into it? With sweeping regulation changes arriving in 2026, Ferrari must decide whether Vasseur is the visionary to rebuild, or whether it’s time, as history has often dictated, for a dramatic reset.

What Happens Next?

For now, the next few races will be decisive. If Ferrari’s performance continues to flounder—and, crucially, if Hamilton’s faith in the project wavers further—the pressure on Vasseur will reach boiling point. Ferrari’s board is keenly aware that, in F1, morale and momentum are as crucial as technical innovation.

Failure to act carries its own risk: emotional disconnection among drivers, technical staff jumping ship, and, worst of all, another era of being perennial also-rans while rivals surge ahead. The silence emanating from Ferrari’s leadership may soon give way to something much more dramatic.

As 2025’s campaign lurches from crisis to crisis, Ferrari faces a moment of reckoning. Will they double down on stability or gamble on new leadership? As history shows, Maranello seldom tolerates mediocrity or indecision for very long. For Formula 1’s most iconic team, the next chapter could be written out of desperation—or the determined will to win.

In Maranello, something is indeed brewing—and everything is on the line.