Scott Gulbransen
Two races in, Ferrari is the second-best team in Formula 1. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the second isn’t particularly close to the first.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have each stood on the podium through the opening two rounds, but Mercedes has won both races with a one-two finish each time. The Scuderia has been fast enough to make things interesting in the opening stints, then watched the Russell and Antonelli pull away while the red cars sorted out their own problems. It’s a familiar sting dressed up in new-regulation clothes.
What’s different this year — genuinely different — is what’s happening between the two drivers.
Internal Rivalry Could Present Ferrari with a Big Problem
Last year was a wasted opportunity for Ferrari. The car was never good enough to put Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in a position to actually race each other, so the rivalry everyone paid to see never materialized. China delivered it. The two went back and forth through Shanghai for the better part of an afternoon. You had overtakes, re-overtakes, a brief moment of contact that Hamilton called “just a kiss,” and only separated when Hamilton made a decisive move on lap 40 and pulled clear.
Russell, stuck behind them for a significant chunk of that battle, said it was some of the most aggressive racing he’d seen in a while. High praise from a guy who won the race.
Hamilton looked like himself again in China — sharp on the brakes, comfortable trading paint, fast when it counted. After a 2025 season that produced zero podiums, that version of Lewis Hamilton showing up at Ferrari is significant. The seven-time champion isn’t fading. He’s awake.
But Ferrari cannot let that internal fight become the story every Sunday. Charles Leclerc admitted afterward that the team probably didn’t optimize its race because the two drivers chose to scrap over the podium rather than manage the deficit to Mercedes.
“I enjoyed the fight and the only big negative I would say is the gap to Mercedes, which on a day like this, we can see that they are a big step ahead of everyone, so we’ve got to work hard.”
Both drivers made the call in the moment, and neither was wrong. But Mercedes crossed the line 25 seconds ahead. That gap doesn’t shrink on its own.
Ferrari Needs Suzuka to be Fruitful
The Suzuka circuit is about to serve up a valuable lesson for Ferrari, and it’s one they’re eager to learn. With its fast, flowing layout, this track places a premium on mechanical balance, and Ferrari’s SF-26 has already demonstrated its raw speed. While the team is introducing a revised rear wing and updated Halo winglets for the weekend, it’s holding back the full upgrade package until Miami. This isn’t a high-stakes gamble for Ferrari; it’s more like a thorough reconnaissance mission.
The consequences of Round 3 will be more far-reaching than usual due to the upcoming schedule. With the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix called off in the wake of the Middle East conflict, Suzuka’s Japanese Grand Prix marks a significant pause in the action, with the next event not on the calendar until May. As a result, whatever outcome Ferrari achieves in Japan will remain the only point of reference for over a month – a prolonged period to grapple with any lingering questions or concerns about their performance.
The ideal weekend looks something like this: both drivers finish on the podium, Ferrari keeps Mercedes honest longer than it did in Melbourne and Shanghai, and the team walks away with data it can actually use. The nightmare version is another entertaining Hamilton-Leclerc battle that costs them both time while Russell and Antonelli run undisturbed at the front.
Through two rounds, Hamilton has been at least Leclerc’s equal. Given Charles Leclerc’s standing in the sport right now, it says plenty about Lewis Hamilton’s form. The competition between them is real and worth watching. Ferrari just needs it to be a weapon aimed at Mercedes, not at each other.
