Ferrari face... Ferrari problem claims F1 race winner

Fred Vasseur, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Monza, Italy, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Ferrari face... Ferrari problem claims F1 race winner

Ferrari's main problem has been established

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 9 October 2025 19:42

An F1 race winner has suggested Ferrari’s main barrier to success is themselves after making comparisons to their rivals.

The weight of expectation on Ferrari far exceeds that of their rival teams, with their failures heightened as cataclysmic and each performance dissected diligently by their tifosi and the media alike.

In a dramatic downturn in form, Ferrari’s woeful 2025 could see them emerge as the fourth best team at the end of the season, particularly if Max Verstappen and Mercedes continue to earn consistent podium finishes.

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At the beginning of 2025, Lewis Hamilton’s arrival was supposed to herald a new era at Maranello, a return to their title winning prowess after a championship drought that threatens to enter a second decade.

Instead however, Hamilton and Ferrari’s relationship has faltered at the first hurdle, with talks it could be severed as early as the end of the 2026 season.

Ferrari problem diagnosed

Ferrari's current championship drought isn't the team's longest however, with their longest spanning 21-years, from Jody Scheckter’s title win in 1979 up until Michael Schumacher’s first title with the team in 2000.

The team's problems have been debated endlessly, from their terrible strategy decisions to their simple lack of performance; but perhaps Ferrari's inability to win a title is down to a more deep-rooted issue.

Speaking to Escapist Magazine, former F1 driver and six-time race winner Riccardo Patrese diagnosed Ferrari’s main barrier to title success as…well, Ferrari themselves.

“Ferrari are focusing on 2026 now, yes! The problem at Ferrari is that they are Ferrari,” Patrese said.

“There is not one person there who was in the same position as Adrian Newey was at Red Bull or Andrea Stella is at McLaren.”

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