The 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix was meant to be a chance for Scuderia Ferrari to close in on second place in the Constructors’ Championship. Instead it turned into one of their worst weekends of the season. Both drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, failed to score, the team’s title hopes suffered, and the leadership voiced harsh criticisms afterward.
Leclerc’s Race: Promising Start, Early Exit
Charles Leclerc qualified well for the race. He lined up third and looked capable of a strong result. But a chaotic restart changed everything. Leclerc was running in a strong position when a collision between Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri effected him, putting him out of the race.
In his comments after the weekend Leclerc was measured but disappointed. He said he and the team felt “in a good place” early on but that the crash had cost them dearly. His tone revealed frustration.
Hamilton’s Race: From Struggles to Retirement
Lewis Hamilton’s weekend was a reflection of Ferrari’s deeper issues. He qualified 13th, a sign that the car lacked pace relative to rivals.
At the start of the race things got worse. Hamilton was contacted by Carlos Sainz Jr., which damaged his car’s floor. Shortly after he clipped the back of Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, lost front wing and downforce, and the team retired the car on lap 37.
Hamilton described his year with Ferrari as a “nightmare” following the race. His home had become hard to navigate.
Leadership Speaks Out: Vasseur and Elkann
Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur faced the media admitting that a double-retirement was “very harsh” at this point in the season. He highlighted that Leclerc had pace, but the crash removed points that Ferrari could not afford to lose.
Ferrari Chairman John Elkann went further. He praised the mechanics and engineers but told drivers to “talk less and focus on driving” after the weekend. He said Brazil was a “huge disappointment” and implied that too much was not up to his standards.
What It Means for the Championship
Ferrari left Brazil empty-handed in a three-way fight for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. Their failure to score gives rivals a clear advantage as the Scuderia now sit 4th in the WCC, trailing Red Bull by 4 points and Mercedes by a straggerring 36 points. Ferrari’s 2025 revival is slipping away. Elkann’s comments suggest internal pressure is mounting ahead of 2026.
Final Thoughts
Brazil will be a weekend Ferrari will want to forget. A technically competent car and strong early pace were swallowed by collisions and errors. Leclerc’s crash and Hamilton’s floor damage exposed how small moments can change fortunes quickly in modern F1.
If Ferrari wants to salvage second in the Constructors’ Championship or regain momentum, they must deliver in the remaining races and deliver quickly. The public rebukes from team leadership reflect that time is short. The question now is whether Ferrari can respond or whether this weekend becomes a sign of deeper systemic issues.
