2025 Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team

[Hammerfist]

Sebastian Vettel reveals the only advice he gave Sir Lewis Hamilton for Ferrari. He also shares that, even though officially the language is English, Italian is crucial as some team memeber 'don't speak English or they don't speak English very well':

"He's been with Mercedes for a long, long time. And then the move to Ferrari, for sure, it's going to be a huge difference because the heart and the culture of the team is Italian. The language is English. I mean, he understands everybody in the team, but there (are) also employees that he doesn't understand because they don't speak English or they don't speak English very well. And if you don't speak a language very well, you know yourself, you get along. But do you really get the people and do you get the culture? And I think that's a crucial, yeah, mistake that I've done."

"Looking back... I learned Italian, I took classes and I sort of got along and I understood, but I wasn't perfect. I should have really studied Italian more, maybe also spend more time in Italy to really understand the culture more because culture is also the people."

"And I told Lewis before, when he made the move, I said, the only advice I can give you, the best advice I can give you is learn the language, learn it really, really well."

[via F1's Beyond The Grid Podcast]
https://x.com/simsgazette/status/1993628091458167023

The language barrier is quite evident. You can see it all the time when Hamilton is on the radio. At times his engineer misunderstands him. I’m sure this problem runs deep inside the team as well. But instead of having the drivers learn Italian I just think they need to hire more talent that speak English fluently. I bet we see a much more competitive and united team if that happens.

[AR3-GP]

Sebastian Vettel reveals the only advice he gave Sir Lewis Hamilton for Ferrari. He also shares that, even though officially the language is English, Italian is crucial as some team memeber 'don't speak English or they don't speak English very well':

"He's been with Mercedes for a long, long time. And then the move to Ferrari, for sure, it's going to be a huge difference because the heart and the culture of the team is Italian. The language is English. I mean, he understands everybody in the team, but there (are) also employees that he doesn't understand because they don't speak English or they don't speak English very well. And if you don't speak a language very well, you know yourself, you get along. But do you really get the people and do you get the culture? And I think that's a crucial, yeah, mistake that I've done."

"Looking back... I learned Italian, I took classes and I sort of got along and I understood, but I wasn't perfect. I should have really studied Italian more, maybe also spend more time in Italy to really understand the culture more because culture is also the people."

"And I told Lewis before, when he made the move, I said, the only advice I can give you, the best advice I can give you is learn the language, learn it really, really well."

[via F1's Beyond The Grid Podcast]
https://x.com/simsgazette/status/1993628091458167023

It corroborates the words of Maurizio Arrivabene

I had an easy life because I spoke Italian and could grasp all the nuances, all the words and ideas of anyone."

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/ex-ferra ... ire-season

[Luscion]

Let's face it Leclerc needs the help. Even if the new people are connecting with Hamilton, as long as the car gets faster that's all that matters. HAM has a strong track record in improving car performance. Leclerc and Ferrari will only benefit.

Sorry, but that's not the case. On the contrary. He came into F1 and got into the best car, which was still the best the following year. And then things went downhill... and Hamilton was unable to improve either the car or the team over several years. Then he went to Mercedes, where they had spent several years developing the team, procedures, and technology with a view to 2014, and where many developments were tested in 2013. I think the "Mercedes advantage" is well known, so in terms of development, it won't really be relevant again until 2022 – and here we didn't see any real leaps in development. Just as they are lacking at Ferrari. And it is precisely in times like these that good "development drivers" show their quality. Not when the team puts out a car that is already good, but when it is not so good. And in these times, the teams Hamilton was in, whether McLaren, Mercedes, or Ferrari, have not made any leaps in development.

To say that drivers do not develop a car, as one response to your post says, is wrong. Of course, it is increasingly the engineers and the simulations and data, but even today, a driver still contributes a lot. The importance of the driver in this regard lies in identifying the areas that need improvement and that have the most potential for improvement. Here, the driver is still of immense importance today, and having a driver who is good at this determines whether you are competing for victories and titles or, at best, only for podiums or even less.

Unfortunately, Hamilton is not good in this regard, as history has sadly proven. Whenever the team he was in did not build a good car from the outset, it did not improve significantly. His behavior, characterized by constant complaints, whining, and criticism, is also the exact opposite of what you would call motivating a team, and in fact, it does not promote team spirit. It destroys it.

But anyway - sorry, Hamilton definitely does not have a strong track record in improving car performance. In fact, he has the opposite. Whenever it was necessary for the car to significantly improve its performance, nothing moved forward. Whether at McLaren from 2009 to 2012, at Mercedes from 2022 to 2024, or at Ferrari in 2025.

The car is not easy to drive. That's for sure. Hamilton reminding me of michael at mercedes. Fast at times but aloof and error prone. I think he's checked out.

I couldn't agree with you more on that point. Unfortunately, EVERYONE declines with age. And that's especially true in F1. It's a biological and physiological fact that around the age of 40, everyone's ability to judge distances at high speeds declines. For an F1 driver, this obviously has a big impact. Coulthard put it very aptly in an interview when he talked about his final years: "Corners that used to be no problem were gone before I got there" or something similar. You can no longer place the car with centimeter precision in every corner, you miss braking points, you misjudge the distance to your opponent. And then you quickly lose three or four tenths per lap. This happens to EVERY driver and EVERY person over 40. It is physiologically inevitable and the reason why fighter pilots in most air forces around the world "retire" at the age of 45 and are no longer allowed to fly fighter jets in combat. And why F1 drivers slow down with age.

However, what Hamilton does have going against him is that, unlike Schumacher, he is completely unable to motivate the team and tends to have a negative effect on them in this regard. For him, it's all about himself and his own present, not the team and its future. For Michael, the team, its progress, and its development were always the priority, which was certainly one of the reasons why both Ferrari and Mercedes later became arguably the most dominant teams of all time. Because they were teams. And only in real teams is it possible for everyone to actually participate in the creative process and contribute their best. This is one of the important building blocks of success in F1 today, just as it was back then.

That is a bit of a fried take on things, He did start in a good car, he also had to go against a 2 time world champion, and was a match for the champion. Then you forget about the fall out from spygate, which seriously damaged Mclaren, it caused the split with the Mercedes engine partnership and was the main driver in Mercedes buying Brawn to begin with.

Also dont remember Mercedes being a title challenger in LH first season either, They became champions after LH joined the team. Infact, Every body in the world was saying he had made a mistake signing for Mercedes, blah blah blah..... The W11 was also the best f1 car Mercedes ever made, Some say it is the best F1 car ever made, 6 years after LH joined, But lets just pretend it didnt happen yes?.

Michael Schumacher did the work in his bed while in a coma apparently..

Hamilton told mercedes to move away from zero sidepods in 2022 and they didn't listen, telling him he didn't know what he was talking about and later Toto told him their biggest mistake was continuing down that path, it's all on video. And the Ferrari he wouldn't have had much input in considering they brought, what? Two floor updates and the rear suspension that didn't really work and that was it for the entire season

[Chuckjr]

Sorry, but that's not the case. On the contrary. He came into F1 and got into the best car, which was still the best the following year. And then things went downhill... and Hamilton was unable to improve either the car or the team over several years. Then he went to Mercedes, where they had spent several years developing the team, procedures, and technology with a view to 2014, and where many developments were tested in 2013. I think the "Mercedes advantage" is well known, so in terms of development, it won't really be relevant again until 2022 – and here we didn't see any real leaps in development. Just as they are lacking at Ferrari. And it is precisely in times like these that good "development drivers" show their quality. Not when the team puts out a car that is already good, but when it is not so good. And in these times, the teams Hamilton was in, whether McLaren, Mercedes, or Ferrari, have not made any leaps in development.

To say that drivers do not develop a car, as one response to your post says, is wrong. Of course, it is increasingly the engineers and the simulations and data, but even today, a driver still contributes a lot. The importance of the driver in this regard lies in identifying the areas that need improvement and that have the most potential for improvement. Here, the driver is still of immense importance today, and having a driver who is good at this determines whether you are competing for victories and titles or, at best, only for podiums or even less.

Unfortunately, Hamilton is not good in this regard, as history has sadly proven. Whenever the team he was in did not build a good car from the outset, it did not improve significantly. His behavior, characterized by constant complaints, whining, and criticism, is also the exact opposite of what you would call motivating a team, and in fact, it does not promote team spirit. It destroys it.

But anyway - sorry, Hamilton definitely does not have a strong track record in improving car performance. In fact, he has the opposite. Whenever it was necessary for the car to significantly improve its performance, nothing moved forward. Whether at McLaren from 2009 to 2012, at Mercedes from 2022 to 2024, or at Ferrari in 2025.

Outstanding post. 100%.

[yooogurt]

"The Ferrari SF23 is more normal than the Red Bull of my last few months at Red Bull." (c) Checo Perez

[AR3-GP]

fascinating

[AR3-GP]

It's already confirmed that there are multiple exit clause and options to exit from these contracts way earlier, especially for Leclerc.
Anyway Perez must be absolutely shocked after trying the SF 23 today

Then imagine what Checo must think after realizing Charles occasionally beat him in that car while he had the RB19...

Something good

[AR3-GP]

Then imagine what Checo must think after realizing Charles occasionally beat him in that car while he had the RB19...

Wasn't the SF23 understeery? He would be right at home.

It was to an extent. The issue is that the balance was all over the place and the tyre deg was immense

Checo said it was all good

[sucof]

Hamilton told mercedes to move away from zero sidepods in 2022 and they didn't listen, telling him he didn't know what he was talking about and later Toto told him their biggest mistake was continuing down that path, it's all on video. And the Ferrari he wouldn't have had much input in considering they brought, what? Two floor updates and the rear suspension that didn't really work and that was it for the entire season

I remember that, it was funny back then too.
Hamilton only pointed at the thing that was the most obvious change in the car thinking that was the cause. He knew nothing about it.
Just think a second logically: Mercedes has at least a hundred aerodynamicists who are among the best in the world. They were unsure about the problem. But Hamilton knew better??? :D ....
Do not kid me please.
And then, continue thinking logically: Removing the "zero" sidepod, did that solve the problem of Mercedes? No
But continue: Did they only change the sidepod? NO! They changed tons of other things on the car, so even if their performance had been improving a bit, how do you know it was because of the sidepod? Answer: you do not.

Bonus fact: Anyone, I mean anyone who points to a part of the car like that, and says: this is the problem of our lack of performance.... does know crap about aerodynamics, kinetics, and anything regarding a race car, period.

So no, Hamilton does not know about such things, he is a driver with no engineering knowledge.

[Andi76]

Let's face it Leclerc needs the help. Even if the new people are connecting with Hamilton, as long as the car gets faster that's all that matters. HAM has a strong track record in improving car performance. Leclerc and Ferrari will only benefit.

Sorry, but that's not the case. On the contrary. He came into F1 and got into the best car, which was still the best the following year. And then things went downhill... and Hamilton was unable to improve either the car or the team over several years. Then he went to Mercedes, where they had spent several years developing the team, procedures, and technology with a view to 2014, and where many developments were tested in 2013. I think the "Mercedes advantage" is well known, so in terms of development, it won't really be relevant again until 2022 – and here we didn't see any real leaps in development. Just as they are lacking at Ferrari. And it is precisely in times like these that good "development drivers" show their quality. Not when the team puts out a car that is already good, but when it is not so good. And in these times, the teams Hamilton was in, whether McLaren, Mercedes, or Ferrari, have not made any leaps in development.

To say that drivers do not develop a car, as one response to your post says, is wrong. Of course, it is increasingly the engineers and the simulations and data, but even today, a driver still contributes a lot. The importance of the driver in this regard lies in identifying the areas that need improvement and that have the most potential for improvement. Here, the driver is still of immense importance today, and having a driver who is good at this determines whether you are competing for victories and titles or, at best, only for podiums or even less.

Unfortunately, Hamilton is not good in this regard, as history has sadly proven. Whenever the team he was in did not build a good car from the outset, it did not improve significantly. His behavior, characterized by constant complaints, whining, and criticism, is also the exact opposite of what you would call motivating a team, and in fact, it does not promote team spirit. It destroys it.

But anyway - sorry, Hamilton definitely does not have a strong track record in improving car performance. In fact, he has the opposite. Whenever it was necessary for the car to significantly improve its performance, nothing moved forward. Whether at McLaren from 2009 to 2012, at Mercedes from 2022 to 2024, or at Ferrari in 2025.

The car is not easy to drive. That's for sure. Hamilton reminding me of michael at mercedes. Fast at times but aloof and error prone. I think he's checked out.

I couldn't agree with you more on that point. Unfortunately, EVERYONE declines with age. And that's especially true in F1. It's a biological and physiological fact that around the age of 40, everyone's ability to judge distances at high speeds declines. For an F1 driver, this obviously has a big impact. Coulthard put it very aptly in an interview when he talked about his final years: "Corners that used to be no problem were gone before I got there" or something similar. You can no longer place the car with centimeter precision in every corner, you miss braking points, you misjudge the distance to your opponent. And then you quickly lose three or four tenths per lap. This happens to EVERY driver and EVERY person over 40. It is physiologically inevitable and the reason why fighter pilots in most air forces around the world "retire" at the age of 45 and are no longer allowed to fly fighter jets in combat. And why F1 drivers slow down with age.

However, what Hamilton does have going against him is that, unlike Schumacher, he is completely unable to motivate the team and tends to have a negative effect on them in this regard. For him, it's all about himself and his own present, not the team and its future. For Michael, the team, its progress, and its development were always the priority, which was certainly one of the reasons why both Ferrari and Mercedes later became arguably the most dominant teams of all time. Because they were teams. And only in real teams is it possible for everyone to actually participate in the creative process and contribute their best. This is one of the important building blocks of success in F1 today, just as it was back then.

That is a bit of a fried take on things, He did start in a good car, he also had to go against a 2 time world champion, and was a match for the champion. Then you forget about the fall out from spygate, which seriously damaged Mclaren, it caused the split with the Mercedes engine partnership and was the main driver in Mercedes buying Brawn to begin with.

Also dont remember Mercedes being a title challenger in LH first season either, They became champions after LH joined the team. Infact, Every body in the world was saying he had made a mistake signing for Mercedes, blah blah blah..... The W11 was also the best f1 car Mercedes ever made, Some say it is the best F1 car ever made, 6 years after LH joined, But lets just pretend it didnt happen yes?.

Michael Schumacher did the work in his bed while in a coma apparently..

An injured Hamilton fan, obviously... because emotion seems to make it impossible to read correctly. What does his performance as a development driver have to do with the fact that he was able to keep up with a two-time world champion? Nothing. Nor does Spygate or the split from Mercedes have anything to do with how he is as a development driver. As for Mercedes, when Hamilton arrived, you were obviously unable to see through the same emotions that the technical and personnel decisions had already been made years in advance... as is actually known... whether Haug and Brawn's decision to start with the new engine well ahead of everyone else, to recruit the right people and put them in the right positions, to focus on 2014, and to try out and prepare a lot with the 2013 car, which laid the technical foundation for this earlier (incidentally the fact you mention that Hamilton was a title contender in his first year at Mercedes – you are aware that the car and technology of the 2013 car were developed in 2012? Hamilton had nothing to do with that). Ultimately, we are seeing a long-prepared dominance that in many ways had the advantage of long-term preparation and planning, which did not require any major, costly development, compared to the years at McLaren 2009-2012, Mercedes 2022-2024, and Ferrari 2025, where real, immense development was/is necessary. And here, no one can claim that Hamilton has ever stood out as a strong development driver. Even if it may hurt as a fan, one should accept these very clear facts. And not grasp at straws (that he was a title contender in a car developed before his time, or that he was able to keep up with a two-time world champion, or the fallout from a scandal) that have nothing to do with it.

[Luscion]

Hamilton told mercedes to move away from zero sidepods in 2022 and they didn't listen, telling him he didn't know what he was talking about and later Toto told him their biggest mistake was continuing down that path, it's all on video. And the Ferrari he wouldn't have had much input in considering they brought, what? Two floor updates and the rear suspension that didn't really work and that was it for the entire season

I remember that, it was funny back then too.
Hamilton only pointed at the thing that was the most obvious change in the car thinking that was the cause. He knew nothing about it.
Just think a second logically: Mercedes has at least a hundred aerodynamicists who are among the best in the world. They were unsure about the problem. But Hamilton knew better??? :D ....
Do not kid me please.
And then, continue thinking logically: Removing the "zero" sidepod, did that solve the problem of Mercedes? No
But continue: Did they only change the sidepod? NO! They changed tons of other things on the car, so even if their performance had been improving a bit, how do you know it was because of the sidepod? Answer: you do not.

Bonus fact: Anyone, I mean anyone who points to a part of the car like that, and says: this is the problem of our lack of performance.... does know crap about aerodynamics, kinetics, and anything regarding a race car, period.

So no, Hamilton does not know about such things, he is a driver with no engineering knowledge.

His point was more than just "take the sidepods away" either way my reply is to the post saying he was responsible for development path of those cars when he was told so shut up when pointing out issues with it, I'm not saying hes the Nostradamus of engineering

[AR3-GP]

Teams always listen to the drivers. Making an F1 car is not like making a soup where you request more salt and the chef just adds more salt... It's an f1 car. If it's not doing what the driver wants, it's probably because the engineers don't know how to make it do what the driver wants. Only 1 team wins every year. It is not because the rest didn't listen to their drivers.

[Luscion]

Teams always listen to the drivers. Making an F1 car is not like making a soup where you request more salt and the chef just adds more salt... It's an f1 car. If it's not doing what the driver wants, it's probably because the engineers don't know how to make it do what the driver wants. Only 1 team wins every year. It is not because the rest didn't listen to their drivers.

We've seen even with redbull the team doesn't always listen to the drivers, didn't they apologize to Perez for not listening to his concerns? And Max was pretty vocal about the car needing to change, not the drivers

[PlatinumZealot]

Let's face it Leclerc needs the help. Even if the new people are connecting with Hamilton, as long as the car gets faster that's all that matters. HAM has a strong track record in improving car performance. Leclerc and Ferrari will only benefit.

Sorry, but that's not the case. On the contrary. He came into F1 and got into the best car, which was still the best the following year. And then things went downhill... and Hamilton was unable to improve either the car or the team over several years. Then he went to Mercedes, where they had spent several years developing the team, procedures, and technology with a view to 2014, and where many developments were tested in 2013. I think the "Mercedes advantage" is well known, so in terms of development, it won't really be relevant again until 2022 – and here we didn't see any real leaps in development. Just as they are lacking at Ferrari. And it is precisely in times like these that good "development drivers" show their quality. Not when the team puts out a car that is already good, but when it is not so good. And in these times, the teams Hamilton was in, whether McLaren, Mercedes, or Ferrari, have not made any leaps in development.

To say that drivers do not develop a car, as one response to your post says, is wrong. Of course, it is increasingly the engineers and the simulations and data, but even today, a driver still contributes a lot. The importance of the driver in this regard lies in identifying the areas that need improvement and that have the most potential for improvement. Here, the driver is still of immense importance today, and having a driver who is good at this determines whether you are competing for victories and titles or, at best, only for podiums or even less.

Unfortunately, Hamilton is not good in this regard, as history has sadly proven. Whenever the team he was in did not build a good car from the outset, it did not improve significantly. His behavior, characterized by constant complaints, whining, and criticism, is also the exact opposite of what you would call motivating a team, and in fact, it does not promote team spirit. It destroys it.

But anyway - sorry, Hamilton definitely does not have a strong track record in improving car performance. In fact, he has the opposite. Whenever it was necessary for the car to significantly improve its performance, nothing moved forward. Whether at McLaren from 2009 to 2012, at Mercedes from 2022 to 2024, or at Ferrari in 2025.

The car is not easy to drive. That's for sure. Hamilton reminding me of michael at mercedes. Fast at times but aloof and error prone. I think he's checked out.

I couldn't agree with you more on that point. Unfortunately, EVERYONE declines with age. And that's especially true in F1. It's a biological and physiological fact that around the age of 40, everyone's ability to judge distances at high speeds declines. For an F1 driver, this obviously has a big impact. Coulthard put it very aptly in an interview when he talked about his final years: "Corners that used to be no problem were gone before I got there" or something similar. You can no longer place the car with centimeter precision in every corner, you miss braking points, you misjudge the distance to your opponent. And then you quickly lose three or four tenths per lap. This happens to EVERY driver and EVERY person over 40. It is physiologically inevitable and the reason why fighter pilots in most air forces around the world "retire" at the age of 45 and are no longer allowed to fly fighter jets in combat. And why F1 drivers slow down with age.

However, what Hamilton does have going against him is that, unlike Schumacher, he is completely unable to motivate the team and tends to have a negative effect on them in this regard. For him, it's all about himself and his own present, not the team and its future. For Michael, the team, its progress, and its development were always the priority, which was certainly one of the reasons why both Ferrari and Mercedes later became arguably the most dominant teams of all time. Because they were teams. And only in real teams is it possible for everyone to actually participate in the creative process and contribute their best. This is one of the important building blocks of success in F1 today, just as it was back then.

Not to diverting off topic but the numbers show that he did in fact improve cars if we compare to other drivers' car trends. If we are listening to the experts he is going to do that to some degree at Ferrari. Why wouldn't you want this?

[AR3-GP]

Is Qatar considered a more or less favorable circuit for Ferrari?