Ferrari has a lot of work to do but is under no illusion as to the scale of the challenge ahead, says Lewis Hamilton.
The Scuderia fell short of expectations in F1 2025, finishing fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, a year in which many expected the squad to battle for the title.
Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur insist Ferrari can do better
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Ferrari lost ground to its main rivals in the final year of the ground effect rules, going without a win while Hamilton recorded his first season in F1 without a podium.
“We have a lot of work to do, for sure, over winter,” Hamilton observed.
“We’ll analyse the season.
“There are lots of improvements we need to make collectively, but I think no one’s under any illusion in the team that we all have to play our part. And I believe that we can.
“I’m hoping we implement and make those changes, along with hopefully a better package next year.”
The incoming regulation set offers all teams a reset, with sweeping new chassis and power unit rules.
However, Ferrari’s challenge is seemingly greater than simply designing a car to the new rules.
Operationally, it was found out on multiple occasions through the season, while the relationship between key figures also appeared strained at times – Hamilton and his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, in particular.
That has even seen pressure applied to team boss Fred Vasseur, who had his contract renewed midway through F1 2025 in spite of speculation that he could be ousted.
Like Hamilton, Vasseur acknowledges there are areas for improvement heading into the new year.
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“It means that it’s very easy as a team to find a way where we can do a bit better,” he said with regards to the operational elements of the team.
“It’s always the case, and it was always the case the last 20 years; we can always do a better job on some details.”
The Frenchman went on to highlight tyre preparation as one aspect where a small change can reap huge returns.
“If you are able to do a better press lap or out lap, and you can get a bit more from the tyres, if you are doing a huge step forward in terms of classification, not lap time, but classification,” he ventured.
Adding to Ferrari’s struggles in F1 2025 was the closeness of the field, with small errors perhaps more heavily punished than they’d have been in previous years.
Vasseur insists that, while it proved a frustrating campaign, the team’s spirit was not broken.
“I’m not blaming the team at all,” he said.
“It’s that we just have to keep this mindset to try to be better every single weekend.
“But I think it’s more the DNA of the sport than the characteristic of the team.”
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