F1 2025: Unpredictable Battle for the Lead

With no clear favorite, Vasseur remains cautious on 2025, as Ferrari sticks to its strategy despite last season’s intense title fight.

At the wheel of the Ferrari SF-25, Lewis Hamilton will seek to return to the forefront for the first time since 2021 and resume his pursuit of a record eighth world title.

His goal is to win the title with Ferrari, just as it is, of course, for Charles Leclerc. After the shakedown, both drivers expressed their desire to bring the Scuderia back to the top this year, and this dream duo seems to have all the assets to achieve it.

Except, perhaps, one: a car capable of beating Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes over the course of the season, among others.

That is what Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur reminded them of during the launch of the SF-25 at Fiorano. And he refrained from predicting whether it would be a Ferrari worthy of a title or not.

Asked about his level of confidence, he responded: “I don’t have that approach. I don’t need to be confident or not.”

“I have to do my job. I have to push everyone to do their best and make the most of what we have, and we will see the result when we are on track.”

“But I don’t need to be confident or not. That’s my view. It’s not the right approach. And if I am confident, it’s not about the car. I am confident because the team is improving, everyone has taken a good step forward between 2023 and 2024 in all areas—reliability, performance, operations, pit stops, strategy—and we must continue in this direction.”

Likewise, Vasseur did not make any predictions about the teams that will be in the title fight in 2025, with Ferrari narrowly missing out on the constructors’ crown last season to McLaren, while Max Verstappen and Red Bull secured a fourth consecutive drivers’ title.

Asked whether he sees McLaren as the favorite or believes Red Bull and Mercedes will pose an equal threat, Vasseur responded: “Last year was a very good season for F1 as a whole, because in the first part of the season, it was Red Bull leading, then it was us, then McLaren, then Mercedes, then we came back, and it went like that all season.”

“This means it is very, very difficult to predict who will lead the pack this season, or even if anyone will lead the pack.”

“We fought McLaren until the very last corner of the season. We have to build the 2025 season on this one, on 2024, but we will not change our approach, whether we performed well or not in the last 12 races of 2024.”

“We have to push, continue developing the car, keep improving in every pillar of team performance, in every department. This is the approach, and the atmosphere is good. So, back to work.”