Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has conceded that Lewis Hamilton‘s Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix disqualification triggered its early-season troubles, admitting: “We lost our way”.
The Scuderia went into this year’s campaign confident it had, at least, the second-fastest package after McLaren, and was in a position to challenge for results.
But despite currently lying in second place in the Constructors’ Championship, it has not been a reflection of some of the issues the team has had to contend with.
Neither Charles Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton have been able to score a single Grand Prix victory, the latter yet to even make the podium.
The crux of its issues largely came down to the floor and rear suspension of its SF-25 challenger.
A lack of rigidity in the suspension worked in tandem with the floor to cause a myriad of performance issues, which came to a head as early as the second round in Shanghai.
After Hamilton took victory in the Sprint in Shanghai, the Brit was then sensationally disqualified a day later after the Grand Prix for excessive plank wear.
The low ride height on which the car was run worked fine in the Sprint, but the full Grand Prix distance proved to be too far for the underside of the car.
This led to consistent higher ride heights at subsequent races, rendering an enforced lack of competitiveness for both Leclerc and Hamilton.
Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Vasseur was asked where Ferrari has lacked compared to the all-conquering McLaren and its demonstrably dominant MCL39.
“McLaren is outstanding at tyre management, especially in wet or hot conditions,” the Frenchman replied.
“The disqualifications threw us off track a bit. We had to leave ourselves a safety margin in terms of ground clearance.
“As we all know, these cars are extremely sensitive when it comes to ground clearance. Every millimetre is a position on the starting grid.
“If you don’t have full control over the vehicle height, it affects the car’s competitiveness.
“To solve the problem, you lose focus on other things. Preparing the tyres for qualifying, the warm-up laps, you name it.”
Vasseur concedes Ferrari has had ‘quality issues’
Prior to the shift in focus towards the 2026 cars, and the all-new rules and regulations that go with them, Ferrari was able to produce upgrades for its floor and rear suspension.
In doing so, the team has, whilst unable to find enough to match McLaren’s pace, seen an upturn in performance.
Progress even led to Leclerc bagging a stunning pole position, his and the team’s first of the season, at the last round in Hungary.
“Over the last three or four weekends, we have been able to close the gap to two tenths,” Vasseur explained.
“We had a lot of problems with the handling at the race track at the beginning of the season. There were quality issues, then the disqualifications.
“We lost our way a bit there.
“So much depends on the details and qualifying in Budapest was a good example. If you focus on the wrong things, you immediately lose a lot of ground.
“If Charles had been two tenths slower, he would have been sixth instead of first.
“It’s very difficult to know what’s important at any given moment in order to be fast.”
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