With every passing race, Ferrari’s championship hopes appear to be getting smaller. Performance issues continue to plague the team. Hopes of a turnaround in Japan have been dashed. The SF-25, the 71st F1 car built by the fabled Maranello-based outfit has not so far lived up to its pedigree, looking well off pace. But for fans of the prancing horse, there’s something even more concerning.
It is the visibly tense atmosphere within the team. It was clear after Saturday’s qualifying that Ferrari wouldn’t be in the fight for victory. Charles Leclerc started P4, with Lewis Hamilton in P8. The only change on race day was Hamilton managing to gain a single position.
Both Hamilton and Leclerc have been struggling to extract the maximum from the SF-25, and their race engineers seem to be facing similar difficulties. Throughout the race, both drivers voiced frustration over the quality of feedback from the pit wall, with several radio exchanges carrying a clear undertone of antagonism.
LAP 40/53 : FERRARI’s radio comms are the only entertainment one can get #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/RizdsBgRLn
— Hamilton Insights (@LH44_insights) April 6, 2025
Both sides were pretty aggressive with their opinions. Also, neither the two drivers nor the race teams were quite clear in their responses, which only added fuel to the fire. Damon Hill felt the squabbling was getting a bit too much. He took to X to voice his opinion on the topic:
“Bloody hell. Ferrari radio coms! It’s like married couples!” the 1996 world champion wrote.
Bloody hell. Ferrari radio coms! It’s like married couples! #f1
— Damon Hill (@HillF1) April 6, 2025
Fans pointed out to Hill that this tension could persist for the rest of the season. Many believe that tensions between the drivers and engineering staff are bound to grow after a disappointing start to the 2025 campaign. Even in the opening round, there were early signs of strain between Hamilton and his race engineer, Riccardo Adami.
And it’s going to be a loooong season
— Zuzu Pesteleu (@Zuzu_Pesteleu) April 6, 2025
Nevertheless, Ferrari will take some solace in having enjoyed a far better weekend compared to their outing in China two weeks ago.
At the Shanghai International Circuit, both Leclerc and Hamilton were disqualified — Leclerc for an underweight car and Hamilton for excessive plank wear, as reported by the FIA’s technical delegate. In contrast, at Suzuka, the team managed to secure 18 points, which took them up to P4 in the standings, 16 points ahead of Williams.
Hamilton sure Ferrari can bounce back
The seven-time world champion is still adapting to Ferrari. He’s understanding the ropes of a team that he spent most of his F1 career fighting against. Plus, Ferrari is working hard to expand the car’s operating window to make it more comfortable for Leclerc and Hamilton to drive.
The Briton is confident that better results are just ahead. Not just for himself, but the team as a whole. “I have absolute, 100 per cent faith in this team,” he stated.
Taking the positives into the next two weeks pic.twitter.com/xTzK5ccDY3
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 6, 2025
“Of course, we’ve gone through everything in the factory and there have been lots of learnings. We take the highs and lows together as a team.”
Japan marked the first race of the season’s first triple-header. With little time to regroup, the Italian team now heads to Bahrain before wrapping up the stretch in Saudi Arabia. For Hamilton and Ferrari, the objective is clear: a return to the podium.
