Frederic Vasseur, the head of Ferrari, has stated that the team will not change their strategy, even after a less than ideal first three races of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
In the Japanese Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton came in seventh, which was Ferrari`s best result on a Sunday in 2025 so far. However, they are still 76 points behind McLaren in the Constructors` Championship.
It seems that a double disqualification in China has caused Ferrari to adjust their car setup, running it higher than they wanted, which has negatively affected their performance.
Leclerc felt he achieved the best possible result in the Japanese Grand Prix by starting and finishing fourth. However, he acknowledged that it`s “not great” to still be 16 seconds behind Max Verstappen, the race winner.
Vasseur commented, “We`ve had similar starts in the past couple of years. But we shouldn`t change our approach. Last year, we were in a similar situation, maybe even with worse pace, and the team reacted very strongly.”
He added, “We worked together as a team, making progress step by step, and we need to continue with the same approach this season. Of course, it`s not ideal, and I would prefer to win the initial races.”
Vasseur also mentioned that Ferrari was off the pace a year ago before recovering to win five races and narrowly miss the constructors` title by only 14 points.
He emphasized that there`s no “quick fix” and Ferrari will likely need to make small improvements in various areas to gain fractions of a second.
“Last year, we were about six tenths of a second slower on average, and we managed to close that gap during the season,” Vasseur stated.
“We need to maintain the same strategy. Regardless of the gap or the current results, we must aim to perform better each week, improving both the car`s potential and how we utilize it. We need to improve in every aspect.”
Hamilton: Significant Effort Needed to Reduce the Gap
Lewis Hamilton has only accumulated 15 points in his first season with Ferrari, and his hopes for a record-breaking eighth world championship this year are quickly fading.
After the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton revealed that a component on his car is “underperforming,” but indicated this issue is not present on Leclerc`s car.
Hamilton believes Ferrari needs to improve “everywhere” but is hopeful for a more competitive showing in Bahrain. He anticipates that the track`s slower corners and long straights will be more favorable to their car.
“It will be interesting. I just hope we can be closer,” he said.
“We were probably the fourth fastest team in Japan and are currently lacking in downforce. So, we have work to do to close the gap.”
“We will gradually develop the car. It will be interesting to see when other teams introduce upgrades throughout the season. We have a significant task to catch up to the leading teams, who are likely three or four tenths ahead of us, so we need to bring substantial upgrades to bridge that gap.”
Wesley Dunham 
Gilbert Pendleton