Frederic Vasseur, the head of Ferrari, has stated that the team will not alter its strategy, even after a disappointing first three races of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
In the Japanese Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton seventh. While this was Ferrari`s best result of the 2025 season so far, it still places them 76 points behind McLaren in the Constructors` Championship.
A double disqualification in China seems to have forced Ferrari to adjust their car`s ride height, negatively impacting their performance.
Leclerc felt he achieved the best possible result at the Japanese Grand Prix by finishing fourth, but acknowledged that being 16 seconds behind the winner, Max Verstappen, is “not great”.
Vasseur commented, “We`ve had similar starts in the past couple of years. However, we shouldn`t change our approach. Last year, we were in a comparable, perhaps even worse situation regarding pace, and the team responded very strongly.”
He added, “We worked together as a team, making gradual improvements, and we need to continue with the same strategy this season. Of course, it`s not ideal, and I would prefer to have won the initial races.”
Vasseur also pointed out that Ferrari was behind the pace last year, but managed to recover, win five races, and narrowly miss the constructors` title by just 14 points.
He emphasized that there`s no “quick fix” and Ferrari will likely need to make small improvements across various areas to gain fractions of a second.
“Last year, we were on average six tenths slower, and we managed to close that gap during the season,” Vasseur stated.
“We must maintain the same approach. Regardless of the current gap or results, we need to strive to perform better each week, enhancing both the car`s potential and our ability to utilize it. We need to improve in every aspect.”
Hamilton, who has accumulated only 15 points in his first season with Ferrari, recognizes the growing challenge to his hopes for a record-breaking eighth world title this year.
Following the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton mentioned that a component on his car was “underperforming,” unlike Leclerc`s car.
Hamilton believes Ferrari needs to improve “everywhere” but remains optimistic about being more competitive in Bahrain, where the track`s characteristics, with slower corners and long straights, should be more favorable for their car.
“It will be interesting. I just hope we are closer,” he said.
“We were probably the fourth fastest in Japan and are currently lacking in downforce. We have work to do to reduce the gap.”
“We will gradually develop the car. It will be interesting to see when other teams introduce upgrades during the season. We have significant work to do to close the gap to the leading teams, who are currently three or four tenths ahead of us, so we need to bring substantial upgrades.”
