Ferrari Fails to Deliver at Japanese Grand Prix, Trails McLaren by 76 Points

Ferrari's title challenge falls short again at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton expressing disappointment with the car's performance.

Ferrari's title challenge fell short again at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc finishing fourth and Lewis Hamilton seventh. Both drivers expressed disappointment with the car's performance, which was outpaced by the McLarens and Max Verstappen's Red Bull. Leclerc said, “There was nothing more in the car. We did a good job with balance and strategy, but it is even more disappointing when you do everything perfect and finish P4. The pace is just not there.”

The result leaves Ferrari trailing in the championship standings, with Leclerc sixth and Hamilton eighth in the drivers' standings. In the manufacturers' standings, Ferrari is already 76 points behind leaders McLaren. The team's performance has been a letdown, especially after the disqualification of both cars in China two weeks prior due to technical infringements.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton managed to make one of the few successful passes in the race, but it only moved him up one spot from his eighth-place start on the grid. Hamilton acknowledged the challenges he faced, saying, “I did the best I could today. I was genuinely lacking performance compared to the cars ahead of me.”

Hamilton expressed hope for improvement, stating, “We found something on the car that was underperforming for the last three races, so I am hoping when that is fixed that I will start getting better results. Onwards and upwards.” This suggests that Hamilton and his team are working to address the performance issues that have hindered their results.

Team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged that the car had become more competitive since the start of the season, but estimated it still lagged behind the leading teams by about three-tenths of a second. Vasseur cautioned against expecting a significant improvement, saying, “If last year, we did a good step forward from the beginning of the season to mid-season, it's not that we found a magic bullet. You will never find something on the car at three or four-tenths.”

🎙️| Lewis Hamilton: “On our side of the garage we have a bit of a problem with our floor. That's been there for the first 3 races.”

pic.twitter.com/pONKN8qciW

— La Gazzetta Ferrari (@GazzettaFerrari) April 6, 2025

Vasseur drew on the team's past experience, noting, “One year ago, we were almost in the same situation, perhaps a bit worse in terms of pace, and the reaction of the team was very, very strong. We worked as a team. We made small step by small step and we have to keep exactly the same approach this season.”

Vasseur expressed his preference for a stronger start to the season, stating, “But for sure, it's not ideal, and I would prefer to have won the first two or three races.” Despite this, he emphasized the team's commitment to continuous improvement and making progress through small, incremental steps.