Red Mist: Hey Ferrari, we are all waiting for that upgrade...

Ferrari’s potpourri start to the 2025 season seems to have the Tifosi in a twist. Sure. Lewis shocked all with that surprise Chinese GP Sprint Race pole. Even better, his splendid win in the race. But for the rest, as soon as the temperature drops, or when Maranello is left to its own devices, then a great Italian-style 'casino' breaks loose.

Now it seems the Scuderia and its men are hell-bent on the forthcoming SF-25 upgrade for success. And so is all of Ferraridom. But is that enough?

Both drivers cannot wait for the upgrade. They say the car lacks versus Red Bull and Mercedes. Never mind McLaren. The SF-25 represented a surprising shift so late in the current rules set, switching to pullrod front suspension. Tech boss Loïc Serra felt the pushrod was past its sell-by date. Ginetto and Charl also complain about aero load.

"I've made progress since the beginning of the season,” Leclerc admits. “I’m far more at ease with the car and I can be at 100% more often now. With the upgrades coming up, I think that we can close the gaps to the guys in front."

Lewis confessed in Japan: “I did not get everything I wanted out of the car this weekend. But yeah, we need that upgrade for sure."

Ferrari has also been restricted on how low its ride heights can go after Hamilton's China plank disqualification. The car is, however, said to suffer increased aero sensitivity when it runs closer to the ground. But Leclerc is also concerned by that lack of downforce.

But it seems to like the heat. Which suggests something else. Like how SF-25 works its tyres. The car was on fire in hot conditions to deliver a mesmerising long-run pace in the far hotter Chinese sprint race. So maybe it will be just fine in Bahrain—if those desert conditions actually deliver scorching weather.

"We just need to work a little bit more to gain overall load, it's not really how sensitive the ride heights are or where we are on the ride height," Charles Leclerc explains. "We don't have enough grip to match McLaren and Red Bull in the corners, so we’re not fast enough."

The team is clearly hard at work on improving its lot back at Maranello. The world is watching. Ginetto, Charlie, and the rest of us—the Tifosi—are waiting. Let’s see how it works when that upgrade finally comes. And pray for a piping hot Bahrain weekend. Forza!