The Horse Left Ferrari
The Imola Circuit, better known as Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, lies on the beautiful Italian East coast and holds the infamous Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The older generation of fans might remember the track for the notoriously somber events of 1994 as San Marino Grand Prix, the name that persisted from 1981 to 2006.
This year we have witnessed less tragic, but, nonetheless, breathtaking weekend with the crashes of RBR driver Yuki Tsunoda and freshly acclaimed as a F1 driver for Alpine Franco Colapinto.
Even though the race itself was quite eventful, here I would like to analyze the performance of the beloved local team, the founder of which is the eponym of the circuit.
Upgrading the stallion
2025 Emilia-Romagna GP almost concludes the 1/3 of the season and is considered significant since 8 out of 10 teams brought new upgrades to the cars. Considering a poor start to the season and internal team’s struggles, this Grand Prix was a chance to prove not only to the fans and sponsors, but also to the Maranello-based team itself that they are capable of fighting for the championship.
With this goal in mind, Ferrari introduced several key aerodynamic updates. These included modifications to both the front and rear wings, a completely new P-shaped sidepod inlet, and revisions to the floor edge and diffuser — aimed at improving aerodynamic efficiency and increasing downforce. To support these changes, the team also reconfigured the rear-top wishbone in the rear suspension.
According to the both drivers, these upgrades should have helped to find some gains and brought them a few tenths closer to the championship leaders in the form of McLaren. However, the reality strikes harsh without any remorse.
Rollercoaster of emotions
Among the Tifosi, only two religions exist: the Catholic Church and Ferrari. Each Grand Prix held in Italy was accompanied by thousands of Ferrari fans, while millions were watching at home.
The 2025 F1 season holds two Italian Grand Prix, one is in Emilia-Romagna, 100km to the North from San Marino, and another one is in Monza, 15km shy from Milan. Both GPs are considered home events and Ferrari can expect full support as well as high expectations.
These high expectations did not come out of nowhere. First, the news on upgrades delighted the fans. Then, the increased confidence and self-esteem of both drivers as well as improved communication minimizing the internal struggles, which haunted the team the first 6 round of the season, brought joy and refreshment.
Unfortunately, the high waves of excitement crashed during all three sessions of free practice. All the gains, which could be found during simulation, decided that it was too early for them to deign. Soon after, the cold realization set in: the improvements might not only yield better results, but also introduce new problems.
Both drivers struggled through the weekend with the brakes, breaking their confidence in the car, while on top of that Hamilton reported issues with the new set of soft tires. The unfortunate chain of events continued with the poor performance during Q1 and Q2.
Both Leclerc and Hamilton could not find the pace during Q1 and barely made it to Q2, which saw them slower than not only McLaren and RBR, but also Williams and Aston Martin, which benefited significantly from the brought upgrades.
What started with the hopes, ended with the disappointment.
Racing or parading?
After poor qualification Tifosi could only dream about making both cars into points. On such circuits like Emilia-Romagna everything comes to the strategy. This track embodies a chain of fast-paced corners as well as a complexity of overtaking other cars.
Only perfectly executed strategy and right calls could give the team an advantage. Unfortunately for Maranello-based team fans, Ferrari are not famous for being masterminds and fortune-tellers. However, given the advantage of the home ground and the support of thousands of Tifosi, it appears that the pit wall managed to find a trick to surprise.
What has been seen as a bold and early pit-stop for Leclerc, in the end played out perfectly, allowing Monegasque to undercut both Aston Martin cars and George Russell, while Hamilton managed to find a perfect balance of keeping his tires and brakes alive as long as possible.
Then comes the luck. Both Ferrari cars were awarded a free pit-stop under VSC, allowing Hamilton to cement his position in the top-10 and giving him the opportunity to go for a 1-stop race. In the meantime, perfectly executed undercut positioned Leclerc behind Lewis, but ahead of any potential competitor.
And the whole race would end like this with the both Ferrari drivers inside the points, if there was not the second safety car, which gifted Hamilton with a free pit-stop, providing him with the opportunity to fight for a few positions ahead.
The clash between Albon and Leclerc led Monegasque on the old set of tires to give up the position and, eventually, let Lewis pass him right before the end of the race.
P4 and P6: good or bad?
On the one hand, both cars managed to advance from P11 and P12 to P4 and P6, which boosted Ferrari further from Williams and closer to RBR in the team standings. Taking into account the start of the weekend, this can be considered as a success.
On the other hand, Tifosi are concerned about the overall team’s performance. The upgrades did not only bring new issues, but also broke the confidence in the car.
We could understand the setback, if we were talking only about Hamilton and his struggling with the new team after the dominant 11 years with Mercedes. However, Leclerc could not find balance and pace as well, which might ring a bell quite loud in not so far Maranello.
What are the prospects? Well, let’s be honest. Charles is not to question. His performance is surely the most stable in Ferrari in the long run since the time when Alonso was part of the team, having a streak of a few solid seasons in a row.
His lack of confidence might lead to an unexpected downfall of the team’s performance during the season, since it can be hardly believed that Ferrari will be able to tailor the car for Hamilton’s needs this season.
Another open question is whether Lewis will manage to find a backbone and start to provide the team with a valuable and extensive feedback. Otherwise, the team will be one-legged without any foreseeable success and this is not how you want to enter a new era of Formula 1. (You may ask RBR about that)
There is still a race to win
The sky is not grim in Maranello. There are still 2/3 of the season ahead and plenty of room for improvements. Emilia-Romagna GP was not a disaster, although it was not a success as well.
The main task for Ferrari is to squeeze everything possible out of the current setup and develop proper upgrades based on drivers’ feelings and extensive experience, the criteria many teams lack right now.
The drivers are determined, the team is passionate and Tifosi — as loud and devoted as always.
