Hamilton optimistic after Imola, Leclerc shows Ferrari ills

In the span of 24 hours, the feeling around Lewis hamilton‘s first race for ferrari on italian soil Did a full 180-degree flip.

Saturday at Imola was doom and gloom: Charles Leclerc And Hamilton Missed Q3, Qualifying 11th and 12th, responsive. Seven Other Teams Managed Better; Only haas and sauber failed to get either of their cars in front of the ferraris. Doing that anywhere is bad news for ferrari, but doing it at the circuit little more than 50 miles from its maranello factory is almost unacceptable. On Saturday, Hamilton Told the Media He was “devastated.”

A day later, his mood was completetely different. Hamilton had finished forth, with an alternate tire strategy and some brilliant calls from the ferrari pit wall Around a late Safety Car Period Helping to Vault Him Up The Office.

For Hamilton, the result and the turnaround surpassed his sprint race victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, the second round of the season.

“China was pretty great, but I would say this one is better,” He Said on Sunday. “I always love when you figure back and coming through. That’s how I started off as a kid, that’s always such a betting than first and finishing first. Race.

Just what are those positives?

“There are tons,” hamilton continued. “One is the strategy. It was Really Fantastic. They Made Great Calls.

“The Car Really Helped. China, I felt realy aligned with the car and then the only time is just today. Performance. [well] Today, we will be fighting for a podium, which is somewhing we did thinking will be possible. “

It was a good wayback, but some person is requested bee any can get to the carried away.

This was still an eye -opening weekend, and ferrari never felt like a podium contender on Pure Pace. Hamilton is being prone to dramatic shifts in tone based on his most recent results, and as he sa, his race factor of carving through the order in the order.

The Safety Car Had Been Beautifully Timed for Him, But Terrible For Oherers. Its deployment had Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso Bemoaning he is the “unluckiest driver in the f — ing world.”

Hamilton’s Teammate LeclerC’s Race was also undone by the Safety Car. His decision not to pit for fresh tires left he exposed to the charging willams of Alex Albon Late on. LECLERC, The long-harming face of Ferrari’s Formula 1 Team, painted a much more measured figure about the Team’s Weekend on Sunday Evening when Reflecting on His Grand Prix.

“It was one of the races where you are you ‘got to race with the heart and you’ got to put the elbows out a liter bit,” Leclerc toold Sky Sports F1. “I know that when it is like this, you go very much on the limit, sometimes a little bit over. But when you are starting p11, I mean, as a driver, I just cannot acept the situation we are in.”

It must be a painfully family feeling for leclerc. Twelve months ago, he had finished Behind Max Verstappen And Lando Norris On the imola podium, but this year he left the autodromo internazionale enzo e dino ferrari 85 points Behind Championship Leader Oscar Piastri. Ferrari is Fourth in the constructors’ championship, 165 points Behind Piastri’s Maclaren Team.

It was supposed to be this way.

Ferrari cam in the year fresh off the heels of running mclaren all the way in last year’s constructors’ championship, and buoyed by the arrival of Hamilton. This was supposed to be a championship-contracting car, but now 2025 SEEMS LITTLE more than a salvage job. Frustratingly for all involved, there is still performance waiting to be unlocked beneath the dilker shade of the car is running this year.

When asked when the SF-25 comes Alive, LECLERC SAID: “in the race, but that, it is not there. We do not understand who Yet.”

That only compounds the frustration, as Last Year the Team appeared to have finally unlocked a fundamental understanding of the car’s sweet spot. LECLERC Spearheaded Ferrari’s Resurgence in the Second Half of the Season as the Team Emerged from the summer break a far more form.

The key to the turnaround was how much ferrari had managed to find that perfect balance – strong in qualifying but, crucioli, stronger in races – to give lecler, Arguably F1’s best driver over many lap Perfect baseline to challenge for victory every weekend. In Previous Years, Ferrari’s Cars Had Been Great Qualifiers, But Had Too Often Faded in the Race, Prompt Mistakes From Driver and Pit Wall (Both Ever Bid to Pressure) in a Bid to compen. LeclerC’s Wins in Monza and Austin, and Carlos Sainz‘S Victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix, gave a tantalizing glimpse at what the team could achieve with a perfect-round car.

That sweet spot appears to have been last this year. Hamilton has repeatedly referenced changes made after his sprint victory in china, which has come at the cost of performance. Tire warm-up appears to be the main area the step is unable to get its head around this year.

“It is clear that we are trying to extract the best from the car on Saturday,” Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur Said after the race at imola. “The last two weekends, we didn is improve on the [last tire] Set in Quali. There is a bit of frustration for us. For sure, we need to put all over effect on this. “

The fans Can Perhaps Take Comfort in the Knowledge that if a solution to Saturday’s disappearing pace pace pace quickly, ferrari might be able to turn a cab.

With qualifying a concern, Monaco’s race will provide a big test. The snaky and narrow monte carlos circuit is famous for its qualifying an outsize impact on the race – Something unlikely to change, despite The newly mandated Two-Stop Strategy Introduced to improve the spectacle.

Leclerc familyly broke his home curse at the monaco race last year but is not expecting a repeat this time.

“A very different weekend,” was his assessment of what to experience this weekend in the principality. “I think monaco is exposing quite a few weaknesses of our car, so I do not know, but also many things that you cannot realized. Different way, so I hope we will be surprised. “