Although Ferrari is no longer developing the SF-25, its form has recently been on the rise – why it was on the podium twice in a row in Austin and Mexico
“Overall, it was a good weekend for us,” summarized Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur after the Mexican Grand Prix. For the first time in almost five months, the Scuderia managed to finish on the podium in two consecutive races.
After Charles Leclerc had already finished third at the Grand Prix in Austin, he even managed to take second place in Mexico City. Ferrari had last achieved two podium finishes in a row at the races in Monaco and Barcelona in May and June.
Without a ten-second penalty for Lewis Hamilton, who ultimately finished eighth, the team’s result in Mexico could have been even better. Vasseur points to the strong result in qualifying on Saturday in this context.
The team was “not far off” from “fighting for pole position, and P2 and P3 were a good result,” said the team boss. Leclerc himself also spoke of a “positive weekend” in Mexico City after finishing second in the race.
Where Vasseur sees a “step forward”
But why did things go better for Ferrari again over the past two weekends? The car itself has not become any faster since the disappointing races in Baku (P8 and P9) and Singapore (P6 and P8). Development of the SF-25 was discontinued some time ago.
“I think we took a step forward over the last two weekends when it came to putting everything together,” explains Vasseur, emphasizing that this time they didn’t feel “that we were leaving too much on the table.”
Baku, Singapore, and other Grands Prix were races “where the potential wasn’t so bad, but we had difficulty scoring points.” Or to put it simply: Ferrari simply failed to live up to its own potential.
Leclerc also confirms: “Thanks to perfectly executed weekends, we were able to achieve two podium finishes in a row.” At the same time, however, this circumstance also makes it “very, very hard” to hold on to second place in the Constructors’ Championship until the end.
P2 in the World Championship just a snapshot?
Although Ferrari overtook Mercedes in Mexico, it is currently only one point ahead of the Silver Arrows and ten points ahead of Red Bull in the World Championship. And Leclerc warns: “It’s very difficult to perform at this level all the time.”
When asked whether Ferrari can hold on to second place, the Monegasque replies: “Looking back at the last two weekends, yes. Looking back at the time before those two weekends, not really.”
Because even in the four remaining Grands Prix, you need the “perfect” weekends that Leclerc mentioned. He emphasizes: “We just have to focus on each race individually and execute it perfectly, just like we did in the last two races.”
“It’s a tough battle every weekend,” emphasizes team boss Vasseur, explaining: “We’re fighting for tenths or hundredths of a second. And gusts of wind or ‘dirty air’ in qualifying can knock you back from P2 to P6.”
Did Mexico’s special requirements suit Ferrari?
In Mexico, for example, Lando Norris was clearly ahead of the rest of the field, but behind him it was “very, very close.” The team boss also points out that Mexico is a special track with very specific requirements for car cooling.
And Ferrari regularly does well in this regard, as Vasseur recalls: “Last year we did well [in Mexico]. We were always in contention the year before that too. And this weekend, we were in good shape from the first lap.”
In fact, the Scuderia scored its last Formula 1 victory to date in Mexico in 2024, and in 2023, Leclerc put the Ferrari on pole there and also finished on the podium. So the good weekend in 2025 could also be attributed to the characteristics of the track. If that’s the case, then the upcoming race in Brazil will be a real yardstick for whether Ferrari’s recent upward trend is truly sustainable. After all, the Scuderia hasn’t been on the podium in Sao Paulo since 2022 and hasn’t won there since 2017.
This makes it all the more important to have another “perfect” weekend there.
