2025 Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team

[ringo]

As opposed to...Schumacher, Vettel, Alonso, Verstappen? All these top guys get/got picked apart when they dont do well. And it's not like Lewis never invited any of it with how cocky he was.

It's also clear Lewis of today isn't prime Lewis. He was convincingly beaten by Russell last year and was just very inconsistent. Part of that might be that these super sensitive cars just punish having an 'off day/weekend' even moreso than normal, but it's all the more reason that drivers cant afford such off-days, especially when driving at the front in a closer field. Ask Norris about that.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this is much of what we're gonna see for the rest of the season from him unless Ferrari transform the car and give it a much wider working window. Probably still an occasional 'wow' highlight result, but Leclerc was always gonna be a high bar to match.

His off year was 2024. he was 3rd overall in 2023 with the 4th best car. He should improve after getting more familiar with the car. This car is more predictable than the W15, and that was his main issue why he lost to a more spritely Russel in qualifying. He didn't have an issues beating Russel in 2023.
He normally has a slow start to the season, then things start to click. This car is all new, so that time to groove in will be even more delayed than normal. I do not expect an underwhelming season, but I don't expect a Eureka moment either. He may well finish ahead tomorrow. You just never know with this guy.

He didn't just lose to Russell in qualifying in 2024. :/ And he was already showing plenty of inconsistency in pace in 2023. Certainly wasn't the 4th best car either, Mercedes were easily the best and most consistent of the runner-up teams. Mclaren only came on strong in the last half of the season, Aston Martin the opposite, and Ferrari were certainly not any better(especially when consideration operations and not just pace). Very messy season for plenty of teams.

Either way, top drivers dont have off years. And from what we've seen, I dont know what's making you think this Ferrari is so much more more predictable than the Merc of last year. The Merc certainly had a more pointy and stronger front end last year overall, and this new Ferrari has plenty of problems with a narrow working range.

It's really not hard to just admit that Lewis is not prime Lewis anymore.

He had a good run. 18 years of F1 none stop going up against the best across generations. His prime was gone more than 5 years ago.
I was wondering if he could get out of Q2 which says a lot about fan expectations. We shouldnt be wondering this for a Ace driver.

Not sure how he's going to sort out qually. 6 tenths is a smashing.

He's going to need to get back on an animal protein diet to get that predatory edge, and get a hair cut maybe. Doohan and Gasly got serious and got a buzz cut. Less distractions.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.

[ScuderiaLeo]

Starting P2 is only one place but could make the difference between fighting for a podium and fighting for a win. In P2 there’s a fairly decent chance you could be ahead going into the first or second corner - if that happens, you get the benefit of clear air, can manage the pace and you never know. Just look at Max last week.

Now, of course, Bahrain is much easier to overtake on and it’s just as possible you get overtaken at the start as there is you do the overtaking but the optimist in me thinks this could be just the bit of luck we needed. Leclerc’s long run pace has been hard to truly gauge this season but I have the suspicion it might be quite good.

I admire the optimism but looking at the long runs from FP2, the only way this could work is if Leclerc gets past Piastri right away with the best start of his life, then Russell puts in some mighty laps so that Piastri has to focus more on him than catching Leclerc.

Which isn't impossible but considering the 3-5 tenths advantage McLaren have in the race, isn't likely either.

Russell was "best of the rest" for the FP2 long runs and still far behind McLaren.

A podium would be outstanding already, a P2 would be nearly unthinkable compared to expectations, and a P4 would still be a good result.

[SoulPancake13]

Mclarens and Russel were monsters in sector 2. Theyre going to launch off that turn 13 like a bat out of hell behind Charles. 2nd place is not much consolation with the pace in the car.
He can try to hold onto P4 at best is my prediction. Lando will recover.
I was very optimistic when i hoped for a 1-2. That needs a couple safety cars and some tyre blow outs, gearbox glitches, with a sprinkle of time penalties for track boundaries for the Ferrari 1-2. Lol

Charles crucially was the strongest through T8-10 out of the top drivers, but let's see with George - Piastri will be untouchable unless he bins the car. The start will be crucial for dreaming of a podium.

[SoulPancake13]

He just can’t help himself can he?

What’s the problem here?

It has been said that these cars don't love the super late braking style that drivers like Lewis use, rather preferring earlier braking to optimize mid corner and exit. Not sure how true it is, but that is the theory.

[f1316]

Starting P2 is only one place but could make the difference between fighting for a podium and fighting for a win. In P2 there’s a fairly decent chance you could be ahead going into the first or second corner - if that happens, you get the benefit of clear air, can manage the pace and you never know. Just look at Max last week.

Now, of course, Bahrain is much easier to overtake on and it’s just as possible you get overtaken at the start as there is you do the overtaking but the optimist in me thinks this could be just the bit of luck we needed. Leclerc’s long run pace has been hard to truly gauge this season but I have the suspicion it might be quite good.

I admire the optimism but looking at the long runs from FP2, the only way this could work is if Leclerc gets past Piastri right away with the best start of his life, then Russell puts in some mighty laps so that Piastri has to focus more on him than catching Leclerc.

Which isn't impossible but considering the 3-5 tenths advantage McLaren have in the race, isn't likely either.

Russell was "best of the rest" for the FP2 long runs and still far behind McLaren.

A podium would be outstanding already, a P2 would be nearly unthinkable compared to expectations, and a P4 would still be a good result.

I don’t think the FP2 long runs are representative - Ferrari made a step overnight with Charles’ car and were much closer in quali than expected. After FP2 could anyone have conceived that Charles would be ahead of Norris? I don’t think the gap is as clear cut as all that and a lot of this depends on having the clear air to manage the tyres appropriately. Not saying it’ll happen necessarily but I suspect in the right circumstances Leclerc might have decent long run pace. Let’s see.

[ringo]

He just can’t help himself can he?

What’s the problem here?

It has been said that these cars don't love the super late braking style that drivers like Lewis use, rather preferring earlier braking to optimize mid corner and exit. Not sure how true it is, but that is the theory.

Yes this is true. The aero platform is sensitive to pitch and ground clearance, hence why theyre so stiffly sprung. It's just tough luck for Lewis. He's gonna need to do some yoga or behavioral conditioning to retrain his reflexes. He probably doesnt know how else to go fast if he isn't braking late and taking a more parabolic entry.
The good thing about joining Ferrari, is that with Adami, I am sure Lewis can get a fresh perspective on his driving without the familiarity bias.

[JPower]

It has been said that these cars don't love the super late braking style that drivers like Lewis use, rather preferring earlier braking to optimize mid corner and exit. Not sure how true it is, but that is the theory.

I understand that, it just made it sound like there was something "wrong" with someone in the conversation.

After 4 years of development, these cars are essentially locked into a very specific way to get time out of them. It gives guys like Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell,etc, who have been in this reg set with one team, a huge advantage. I think rookies actually have an upperhand over vets like Hamilton, Sainz, Ocon, etc. not having learned anything before hand. They only know what they've been given.

[ali623]

Jeez just seen Hamilton’s post-qualifying interview, he seems totally lost and demotivated - reminded me of how he was in those final weekends at Mercedes. Doesn’t bode well, looks like the honeymoon period is over…

[ringo]

Jeez just seen Hamilton’s post-qualifying interview, he seems totally lost and demotivated - reminded me of how he was in those final weekends at Mercedes. Doesn’t bode well, looks like the honeymoon period is over…

When he does this, he usually has a good weekend. Reminds me of Brazil 2021 after the wing deflection DQ. He was dejected just the same. The race will be good.

[SoulPancake13]

What do we think is the strategy for today?

[codetower]

This race ig going to be more about pace/strategy than the start (unless someone bins it of course). It looks to be a 2 stopper but interestingly Russel and Antonelli only have one new M and one new H. This might play a factor in the race. With a decent race a podium is definitely possible.

As far as Hamilton, i used to hate the guy, but that was probably because of all the winning, but I've always respected him as a driver. Definitely one of the greats. I’ve grown to like him over the last year or so. He’s struggling now, but he’s still an incredible talent. He’ll have a couple of impressive weekends. But he IS 40 years old. Theres a reason 40 year old drivers usually hang it up. Don’t expect him to overly impress on track. He doesn’t have Stroll on the other side of the garage.

[deadhead]

It has been said that these cars don't love the super late braking style that drivers like Lewis use, rather preferring earlier braking to optimize mid corner and exit. Not sure how true it is, but that is the theory.

I understand that, it just made it sound like there was something "wrong" with someone in the conversation.

After 4 years of development, these cars are essentially locked into a very specific way to get time out of them. It gives guys like Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell,etc, who have been in this reg set with one team, a huge advantage. I think rookies actually have an upperhand over vets like Hamilton, Sainz, Ocon, etc. not having learned anything before hand. They only know what they've been given.

LEC and VER transitioned from the old regs to the new without any drama … on the pace from race 1 in 2022

[deadhead]

What do we think is the strategy for today?

Should be a mix of 1 and 2 stops as the 1 stop seems feasible

[Sevach]

[JPower]

It has been said that these cars don't love the super late braking style that drivers like Lewis use, rather preferring earlier braking to optimize mid corner and exit. Not sure how true it is, but that is the theory.

I understand that, it just made it sound like there was something "wrong" with someone in the conversation.

After 4 years of development, these cars are essentially locked into a very specific way to get time out of them. It gives guys like Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell,etc, who have been in this reg set with one team, a huge advantage. I think rookies actually have an upperhand over vets like Hamilton, Sainz, Ocon, etc. not having learned anything before hand. They only know what they've been given.

LEC and VER transitioned from the old regs to the new without any drama … on the pace from race 1 in 2022

Not an apples to apples comparison.

The point is, the 2025 cars are an end product of engineering and driver feedback since 2021. Jumping into a new car at the end of a reg set is a huge disadvantage to a driver changing teams.

Ricciardo’s downfall started because of a similar situation. Came in at the end of a reg set to car developed into a very distinct way of driving and could never recover. Impossible to time but better to start at the beginning or middle of a reg set vs an established driver in the other garage.