Ferrari may soon give up on 2025 F1 season after Lewis Hamilton’s car developed a ‘sickness’

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Ferrari have arguably been the biggest disappointment of the 2025 Formula 1 season so far. Having come so close to the title last term, they now look like the fourth-fastest team.

Ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Ferrari are 76 points behind leaders McLaren. Mercedes are 40 up the road, with Red Bull 24 ahead despite the fact that only Max Verstappen has scored.

Clearly, the double disqualification in China has somewhat skewed the picture. Without it, Ferrari would be 18 points better off.

That, however, would still leave them fourth. And the expulsions reflected the team’s predicament – they took a risk with the fuel levels and ride heights on their cars in search of performance.

Hamilton’s Sprint win in Shanghai offers some hope as the only real glimpse of Ferrari’s potential. Still, their three-race podium drought is their longest since Miami to Canada 2022.

Ferrari’s handling problems could force them to switch focus to 2026 season

Every year, an F1 team must decide when to start shifting resources towards the following season. Switch focus too early and they damage their short-term prospects, jump too late and they could feel lasting effects.

This year, that dilemma is particularly acute. F1 is facing one of the biggest regulation changes in its recent history, and while engine development was already well underway, teams could only start working on their new-look chassis in January.

The last time there were changes of a comparable scale in 2014, Mercedes established an advantage that they wouldn’t relinquish until Max Verstappen’s maiden title in 2021. Ferrari may be tempted to look to that example.

With only an eighth of the season gone, it would be too early for a front-runner to give up on 2025. But if Ferrari don’t make a decisive improvement in the coming races, it will start to look like their best option.

Should it become clear that neither Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc is in title contention, and McLaren are uncatchable in the constructors’, then Ferrari would be best-served pivoting to 2026.

Having gathered ‘information’ from Maranello, AutoRacer report that a decision will be made ‘next month’. There are only two races remaining in April, and the Scuderia’s performance will determine whether they continue to prioritise the SF-25.

Lewis Hamilton is experiencing the same problem he had at Mercedes last year

Former race engineer Luigi Mazzola isn’t optimistic that Ferrari will find a short-term solution to their problems.

Speaking on Sky Italy’s Race Anatomy show, he warned: “Vasseur said that the balance of the car must be fixed before bringing developments. Unfortunately, balance is a difficult element to fix. It’s a difficult sickness to cure.”

• READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

There was ‘unreal’ hype around Hamilton before his debut, so comments like this will be sobering for his fans. But it’s important to remember that 2025 isn’t the be-all and end-all.

Hamilton signed a multi-year deal at Ferrari, one that may even include an option for 2027. Fred Vasseur could improve the 40-year-old’s chances of an eighth title by making a tough call, but he’ll hope the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia transform the mood.