2025’s Formula 1 season so far has been a success story for McLaren, but the opposite for Ferrari. It has been defined by frustration. While the two teams were closely matched in the latter half of 2024, this year, McLaren has emphatically pulled ahead.
Ferrari has been left scrambling to understand where they went wrong. In a candid interview, team principal Fred Vasseur dissected the brutal realities behind their struggles. He admits it is not just outright car performance that has cost them dearly, highlighting other issues.
The gap between Ferrari and McLaren
At the end of 2024, Ferrari and McLaren were near equals, fighting for podiums and challenging victories. However, as 2025 has unfolded, McLaren emerged as the frontrunner, while Ferrari found itself far behind. When asked whether this was due to McLaren’s drastic improvement or regression from Ferrari, Vasseur didn’t shy away.
“At the start of the season, we had many problems with trackside operations,” Vasseur acknowledged. He went on to add, “There were quality issues, then the disqualifications. That’s where we lost the thread a bit.”
Ferrari’s early-season woes certainly included reliability concerns, setup struggles and costly mistakes in race execution. Whilst they sit second place in the Constructors’ Championship, the Italian team has yet to win a race but has scored five podium finishes. Lewis Hamilton did manage to clinch a sprint victory at the Shanghai International Circuit.
However, this hasn’t been enough. The glaring gap between McLaren and Ferrari is almost 300 points after just the first half of the season. Most damaging were the disqualifications that robbed them of crucial points. At the Chinese Grand Prix, both drivers were disqualified, making it a Ferrari first.
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Vasseur’s comments highlight that while McLaren maximised their opportunities, Ferrari repeatedly shot themselves in the foot. He emphasised how tiny details separate triumph from disappointment in modern Formula 1.
“So much depends on the details,” he told the media. He outlined qualification at the Hungaroring as a prime example. “If you focus on the wrong things, you immediately and massively lose ground. If Charles had been two tenths slower, he would have been sixth instead of first.”
This razor-thin margin is what has separated Ferrari from McLaren time and time again in 2025. While McLaren’s upgrades have worked seamlessly, Ferrari has struggled to extract consistent performance from their car.
“It’s very difficult to recognise, in each moment, what exactly matters in order to be fast,” he admitted.
Vasseur’s statement suggests that the SF-25 isn’t inherently slower. Instead, operational missteps from the team have prevented it from unlocking its full potential.
Can Ferrari turn it around?
The recent reduction in the gap to McLaren is a positive sign, but Vasseur knows Ferrari must eliminate errors to fight for wins. The French team principal remains defiantly optimistic.
He highlighted how “Over the last three or four weekends we’ve been able to close the gap to two tenths”. As we enter the summer break, this looks hopeful for Ferrari fans.
🚨 | Lewis Hamilton looks to end the Championship drought Ferrari has been on.
Here’s what he said during the press conference ahead of the Belgian GP:
“If you look at the team for the last 20 years, they have had amazing drivers – Fernando, Kimi, Sebastian. Amazing drivers…
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 24, 2025
The question now is whether Ferrari can sustain their recent improvements or if McLaren will continue to outperform it. Vasseur has a clear challenge ahead of him for the rest of the season as Ferrari must be flawless both on and off the track.
Ferrari didn’t just fall behind; McLaren improved. They lost ground because they lost their way. Fixing this issue may be harder than any technical upgrade.
