The 2025 Formula 1 season has been a tough one for Scuderia Ferrari, but what happened at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix might finally be the breakthrough the team has been looking for.
Ferrari delivered a rousing 3-4 finish with Charles Leclerc nabbing a well-deserved podium in third place and Lewis Hamilton holding onto P4. And while the team has a long way to go to reach the potential and expectations that come with the Ferrari name, it was an excellent weekend, marking a significant step forward for a team that has struggled all season.
Ferrari Floor Upgrades Work
Photo: F1/Graphic: Circuitpics.de
The cornerstone of Ferrari’s strong performance at Spielberg was undoubtedly the new, upgraded floor introduced to the SF-25. It was Ferrari’s first major car upgrade since the April Bahrain race. This crucial upgrade directly led to Ferrari being the second-fastest team at the event, enabling them to return to podium contention and showcasing a significant step forward in their competitive progress.
Both drivers were quick to praise the work in the Scuderia and the results it brought.
“It’s a fantastic result,” Hamilton said after the race. “The team worked really hard back in the factory to bring us a new floor this weekend.”
Charles Leclerc, who fell to third after the first corner, held the pace and position through the race, even if he was far behind the uncatchable McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Leclerc felt Sunday’s result, and specifically the targets hit as a result of the floor upgrade, were a significant step for the Ferrari team.
“The upgrades definitely helped us today, how much it’s difficult to know. But especially when you see how fine the margins are, it definitely helped us,” Leclerc said after the Austrian Grand Prix. “So on that, we should be proud of the work done. Apart from that, I think we did a great job.”
Related: 2025 Austrian Grand Prix: Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and the Biggest Winners & Losers
Building on the Momentum from Austria
While the results in Austria were a welcome step forward for Ferrari and Team Principal Fred Vasseur, who missed the race to attend to a personal matter, it’s only the first step if Maranello expects the team to make giant leaps forward.
Both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are hungry for more improvements to the SF-25, knowing Ferrari has just leapfrogged Mercedes for second in the Constructors Championship with 210 points. While they have no chance of catching runaway constructors’ leader McLaren (417), the road back to respectability has come through significant angst and hard work.
“We are working in the right direction for sure – this weekend proves it,” Hamilton added. “I’m really, really happy with the progress we are making.”
More About:Formula 1