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Ferrari scrambling to find ‘solution’ to issue hampering Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton all season

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After coming mightily close to winning the constructors’ championship for the first time since 2008 last year, many thought Ferrari would be well within the mix to challenge again in the current campaign.

However, the 2025 F1 season hasn’t gone quite to plan. Lewis Hamilton has struggled since his bombshell move to the team, and Charles Leclerc has often voiced his frustrations with the team in his usual radio outbursts.

From the very first race of the season in Australia, Hamilton has struggled with balance issues on the SF-25, which has made it difficult for the seven-time world champion to get to grips with his new machinery.

Ferrari has had to make sacrifices in certain areas to make their drivers more comfortable as the season has progressed, but the consequences of said sacrifices have seen a performance drop in qualifying.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Loic Serra is trying to find a solution to Ferrari’s ’emergency’ fixes in the past

One of the main issues that has left Ferrari engineers baffled is nailing the optimal ride height of the SF-25 to increase performance, whilst also being wary of excessive plank wear.

The issue caused Ferrari’s first-ever double disqualification from a Grand Prix in China during the early rounds of the season, and caused further issues at the Hungaroring.

After starting from pole position, Leclerc’s pace dropped off a cliff in his final stint due to engineers having to increase tyre pressures to increase ride height and alleviate the pressure put on the underbody’s plank.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur in the 2025 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix paddock
Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

According to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport, engineers at the Prancing Horse, led by Loic Serra, have been scrambling to find a ‘solution’ to their set-up issues that will ‘systematically address’ the problem to save them from making ’emergency’ solutions akin to what they did in Hungary with Leclerc.

Serra has been conducting ‘research’ into set-ups that benefit the front and rear of the car, and trying to blend them into a one-size-fits-all solution that will enhance performance without throwing the possibility of another disqualification into the mix.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Internal frustrations may be getting the better of Lewis Hamilton within Ferrari

Hamilton has been very vocal during his debut year with Ferrari about the lower-than-expected performance he has experienced at the wheel of the SF-25.

At the Belgian Grand Prix, Hamilton revealed the extent he has gone to in order to get to the bottom of his issues and offer solutions in the meantime. The British driver has put together documents which outline the problems.

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Lewis Hamilton’s podiums by season

His recent comments at the Dutch Grand Prix also indicate that he still isn’t entirely happy with the squad. Jacques Villeneuve pointed out that Hamilton’s comments about needing a ‘reset’ at Ferrari are ‘strange’.

Zandvoort is one of three circuits that Hamilton has yet to stand on the top step of the podium at, with his second-place finish at the 2021 edition of the race being his finest result at the track.

A win may be highly unlikely this weekend, but he will be eager to grab a podium at the circuit in order to save his current 16-race streak without a podium.