The Bahrain Grand Prix served as Ferrari’s launch point for their initial major 2025 upgrade which concentrated on floor development. The early results were mixed but indeed pointed in the right direction.
With Charles Leclerc starting at P2 and finishing fourth, along with Lewis Hamilton’s fifth-place finish, the Scuderia showed improvement in a competitive race. Is it enough, and can more improvement be made as they head to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday?
Let’s look at Ferrari’s progress since a slow and sloppy start to the 2025 Formula 1 season.
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Early feedback: A promising start
Before the Bahrain Grand Prix, Ferrari introduced their first major upgrade package of the 2025 season. This upgrade package was primarily focused on improving the floor performance of the SF-25. The changes included a rework of the floor from the frontal edge all the way to the floor fences and the diffuser at the rear of the car. Both drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, confirmed after initial track sessions that these upgrades were “definitely working
Initial feedback on these changes from this past weekend was positive from both drivers. Lewis Hamilton confirmed during Friday’s practice that the new upgrades delivered the expected results. The floor performed well, according to Charles Leclerc, during his assessment. Ferrari maintained a a competitive race pace with Mercedes and ahead of Red Bull during Sunday’s race, according to Formula Data Analysis. But, Leclerc stated that McLaren demonstrated superior speed by driving on “another planet.”
Qualifying and race: mixed results for Ferrari
The front-row starting position for Charles Leclerc became available after George Russell of Mercedes received a penalty at the Bahrain Grand Prix marking his first front-row start of 2025. However, the race proved challenging. During the fourth position finish Charles Leclerc lost out to Lando Norris during the last lap of the race. Lewis Hamilton began ninth but managed to get fifth place while emphasizing the need to learn the specific handling of the car.
There are no regrets after a race like this, we just need to find some more pace. We pushed a bit on the first stint and the second was even faster, but once the Safety Car reset things, our pace just wasn’t good enough to fight the McLarens and George (Russell) in the Mercedes. – Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari
Ferrari achieved its first step forward with the result, but Leclerc recognized that its pace needed improvement to compete for consistent podium finishes. Leclerc felt optimistic about future performance while noting the track layout did not provide complete opportunities to demonstrate the upgrade’s capabilities.
As for Lewis Hamilton, he said he gained valuable insights into his Ferrari, describing the experience as a steep learning curve so far. He noted a stark contrast between his qualifying and race performance, calling it “night and day difference.” Starting from ninth, Hamilton climbed to fifth—his best result with Ferrari.
He acknowledged the car’s challenging nature, admitting it can be “quite hard to drive.” To address this, Hamilton is diligently adapting his driving style and aligned his setup with teammate Charles Leclerc’s, which yielded positive results. Despite the tight field making overtakes tough, Hamilton highlighted his strong pace during the middle stint, boosting his confidence for future races.
“I think just getting the confidence in that and then adjusting the driving style to it,” Hamilton said post race. “But the team did a great job with the pit stops today and the strategy.”
Ferrari and the bigger picture
The upgrade package brought steady points accumulation while functioning as intended, yet Ferrari maintained a large deficit behind McLaren. The drivers displayed a cautiously optimistic attitude while reiterating that the team needed to develop a car with better stability and driving characteristics.
The upgrades brought progress but failed to bridge the distance to the leaders. While the Tifosi had visions of Leclerc’s first podium of the 2025 campaign, that crumbled in the last lap as McLaren and Lando Norris grabbed third.
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Ferrari now gears up for Jeddah
Ferrari established a solid starting point during their Bahrain Grand Prix appearance. While they were happy to see progress, but team principal Fred Vasseur knows the Scuderia has much more work to do in order to catch McLaren and Mercedes.
“We had the potential to do better today. The Safety Car did not come at the right time for us, at least for Charles, but this is not an excuse,” Vasseur said. “We are where we are: McLaren is still a step ahead but we were fighting with them in the second stint and we have been able to fight with both Mercedes and Red Bulls. We’ll keep working to be more competitive in the next races, starting in Saudi Arabia next week.”
Continued development, alongside tracks that favor their performance, should enable Ferrari to use these small gains to more consistently reach front positions the rest of the campaign.
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