There was no column last week. Red Mist was too despondent to write after the Zandvoort catastrophe but the Scuderia is back on the front foot after a reasonable effort at Monza.
Nobody did much wrong, and the biggest drawback was the FIA’s harsh call on Lewis Hamilton that spoiled his first Monza weekend as a Red with a questionable five-place grid drop.
Capo Fred wrapped it up best: “For sure, we have still room for improvement on every single topic,” Vasseur said after the Italian race. “When we missed P3 by 0.01 seconds in qualifying at Monza, every single bit makes a difference.”
He summed it up by promising Maranello is still flat out on all fronts to find pace in this recalcitrant 2025 car.
Charles Leclerc echoed his team boss’ positive outlook, suggesting Ferrari can even ponder winning this coming weekend.
“Monza was a nice battle with Piastri but in the end he just had more pace than I did and the car was a little bit worse than what we expected,” the Monegasque admitted. “So we still go to Azerbaijan next week as third favourites.
“But I love Baku and I’ve been very strong there in the past. It’s also very easy to overtake, and if you don’t have the race pace, you can definitely feel it. Maybe Baku, and also Singapore and Las Vegas, are the three tracks where we can get a bit closer to winning a race if the two favourites do not perform as expected.”
Hamilton: I am so honoured
Lewis Hamilton was content with his Monza showing after that Dutch shunt. “Solid progress in Monza,” the seven-time champion reported. “The penalty made a better result challenging, but I gave it everything. Thank you to the tifosi for bringing the passion.
“I’m so honoured to be driving for Ferrari and to be on the receiving end of the incredible love. A big thank you to everyone for all their hard work this weekend, and I’m grateful for the progress we’re making together. Grazie a tutti.”
Looking ahead, Hamilton added: “Yeah, I think this weekend built a lot on my confidence with the car, so let’s build on that.”
So despite that Dutch disaster, Ferrari still sits a handy second in the chase. It will do well to defend that through the season.
Sure, it would be great to add another win to Hamilton’s Chinese Sprint success, which means whichever way you cut it, Ferrari has already won in 2025. Still, a Sunday victory is the real prize.
Here’s to one or two of those in the coming three races.
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