Despite many people believing that the 2025 season could be the one to bring glory back to Maranello, Ferrari has been struggling since the very first race. After the first weeks, the team dropped in the standings, ending up behind McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes. The situation changed drastically after the European triple-header. Now, Ferrari is second in the Constructors’ Standings, even though their car is neither the quickest nor the easiest to control. How did they manage to climb so high?
While Max Verstappen is doing well this season, being third in the driver standings after the first nine races, the same cannot be said about his teammates. The first clue that something isn’t quite right is in the fact that he has already had more than one teammate in 2025.
Red Bull fans were shocked when the team announced that Liam Lawson was set to join Verstappen at the beginning of the season. Many of them expected to more experienced Yuki Tsunoda to be given a chance. Their doubts about the young driver were quickly proven right. He struggled behind the wheel of the unpredictable Red Bull and couldn’t extract the performance from the RB21. Having started in only two races, he was replaced by Tsunoda.
A lot of pressure was put on Tsunoda, but he couldn’t match the performance of his championship-winning teammate. Currently, he has 10 points to Verstappen’s 137. While Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes compete with two drivers, Red Bull seems to only get points from one. This is not to say that it is Lawson’s or Tsunoda’s fault. At least a part of the problem is caused by the RB21, a car that, while quick, seems to be impossible to control for anyone but Verstappen.
During the triple-header, Verstappen scored 38 points. His teammate only managed to add one to his tally.
For Mercedes, the situation is slightly different. They began the year in a very good spot, with George Russell scoring podiums in almost every weekend, and Kimi Antonelli setting records left and right. But nothing lasts forever, and their luck seemed to turn as the triple-header began.
In Imola, while Ferrari fought its way up after a double Q2 elimination, Mercedes dropped in the order. In his first-ever F1 home Grand Prix, Antonelli experienced a power unit failure and had to walk away with zero points scored. His teammate did better, although he fell from P3 to P7 over the course of the race.
The power unit issues continued in Monaco. Both Mercedes were eliminated in Q2, and while for Antonelli the issue was hitting the wall, Russell had simply lost power and was unable to continue trying for a quick lap. The team’s strange strategy in the race led to neither driver scoring any points.
Then came Barcelona, the final nail in Mercedes’ coffin. For the third week in a row, their engine gave out before the weekend was over. This time, it was Antonelli who had to bid his chances of scoring points goodbye. Russell’s car made it to the end, and he finished the race in P5, after a heated fight with Verstappen.
Mercedes’ problem seems to be reliability. Both Russell and Antonelli are giving their all every race weekend and have continuously proven that they are talented drivers. The sad truth is, there is no driver good enough to offset engine issues.
With both Red Bull and Mercedes having issues, Ferrari sensed a chance to get back in the game. Despite the many issues plaguing the Italian team, they focused on making the most out of every weekend. During the triple-header, their efforts paid off.
Despite poor qualifying in Imola, both Ferrari drivers ended the day with some nice points. Charles Leclerc finished 6th, while Lewis Hamilton jumped all the way to 4th, just barely missing out on his first Grand Prix podium of the season. This was the good news that the team needed.
A week later, Ferrari put their all into helping Leclerc win his home Grand Prix. The Monegasque couldn’t compete with the pure speed of the McLaren’s but he did manage to stand on the podium. This was a big moment both for him and for the team. The 15 points that came with the result, and the additional 10 scored by Hamilton, pushed Ferrari a step closer to climbing out of the Constructors’ trenches.
Spain was the tipping point that had put Ferrari ahead of both their rivals. For Leclerc, the race came with a second consecutive podium and another 15 points. Hamilton did struggle behind the wheel of his car, but still managed to finish in a solid P6. With that, Ferrari secured enough points to soar to P2 in the standings.
The SF-25 may be far from great, but the combination of two great drivers and a reliable engine helped Ferrari turn their season around. Of course, they are very far from McLaren and, for now, there is no true Constructors’ Championship fight in sight. Still, it is a step in the right direction for the Maranello-based team. With the support of all Tifosi as fuel, they might just make the season a bit more red.
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