Ferrari’s struggles continued under the humid lights of Singapore, where Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton once again found themselves fighting for positions in the lower half of the top ten, well behind the leading McLarens and Red Bulls. What had begun as a race filled with cautious optimism quickly descended into another frustrating chapter, compounded by persistent brake issues that left both drivers having to nurse their cars to the finish line.
This weekend’s misery followed hot on the heels of the disappointment in Baku — and Leclerc’s words over the team radio summed up the growing disillusionment within the Scuderia. ‘Feels like we’re just passengers,’ he lamented, echoing his exasperated radio outburst from the previous race, when his frustration at Ferrari’s declining competitiveness reached boiling point.
A driver once hailed as Ferrari’s future now finds himself trapped in a car that refuses to evolve. Increasingly, it’s not just Leclerc who senses that the team has lost its way.
Ferrari’s fading fight
After qualifying, Leclerc described the SF-25’s handling as ‘understeering, but still nervous and unpredictable’ — a cruel combination that strips confidence lap after lap. The Monegasque admitted that, since lap eight of the Singapore race, he had been forced to manage fading brakes. “Everyone has to deal with them to some extent on a track like this, but we were on the weaker side this time,” he said. ‘That made the race extremely difficult.’
However, Leclerc identified a deeper issue within Ferrari’s 2025 campaign beyond the mechanical problems. “Unfortunately, we don’t currently have a car to compete with the leaders,” he said. ‘McLaren has had the same lead over us since the beginning of the season. Red Bull has improved since Monza and is now on the same level as McLaren. Mercedes has also caught up, and then there’s us.”
His tone was weary but defiant, reflecting another season slipping into mediocrity. ‘It’s not easy because you naturally want to fight for better positions. But at the moment, it feels like we’re just passengers and can’t get any more out of the car.”
The car resists progress
Ferrari’s SF-25 has become a symbol of stagnation. Once billed as an evolution of the promising SF-24, it now seems stuck in development purgatory. With the 2026 regulation overhaul looming large, Leclerc admits that expectations for improvement this year are minimal. ‘The picture we saw this weekend will probably dictate the rest of the season,’ he said.
However, that realism hasn’t turned into resignation. Leclerc insists he is motivated to ‘turn things around’, even though each race weekend feels like a test of endurance. “It takes a lot of energy, but it doesn’t demotivate me,” he said. “On the contrary — it motivates me even more to turn things around.”
Nevertheless, for a driver who was fighting for the Constructors’ title just a year ago, the current slump feels like a harsh comedown. ‘When you come out of a year where you’re fighting for the world championship and then suddenly you don’t see any progress at all, it’s difficult, of course. But giving up is not an option for me.”
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The team is searching for answers
Team principal Frédéric Vasseur has also had to confront the same reality. In his post-race debrief, the Frenchman admitted that the past two weekends had been ‘extremely frustrating’. He noted that, although Ferrari had shown glimpses of speed during practice in both Baku and Singapore, they had failed to “make the most of the car’s potential throughout the entire weekend”.
Vasseur explained that the brake problem was the first domino to fall in Singapore. ‘We had to lift and coast very early in the race to get the temperatures under control,’ he said. “But that also means you lose your reference feeling for braking and rhythm. That costs time and confidence.”
For Vasseur, the issue goes beyond the mechanical. ‘We need to increase the car’s potential and improve the processes during race weekends,’ he said. “Only when both come together can we challenge for the top spots again.”
It’s a familiar refrain for Ferrari fans, who have grown accustomed to hearing promises of better execution and more efficient weekends, yet little changes on Sunday afternoons. Nevertheless, Vasseur remains publicly optimistic. ‘From Austin onwards, we need a weekend where everything comes together — the car, the strategy, the execution. Then we’ll be in a position to fight for good positions again.”
Meanwhile, Leclerc’s radio rants and growing frustration
His recent team radio exchanges have provided a window into the mounting tension. In Baku, his tone was sharper and more emotive, a raw outpouring of frustration aimed at a team that had once held his championship hopes. His words were raw, with complaints about strategy, grip and execution piling up.
In Singapore, his message was different, resigned rather than angry. “Don’t even complain, for fuck’s sake. We are doing 200m of LICO (lift and coast) all the time.” he said. This wasn’t a tantrum, but rather a confession of helplessness.
Leclerc’s body language after the race told the same story: His slumped shoulders and distant eyes spoke of a driver coming to terms with another wasted weekend. Despite his professionalism, he cannot hide the strain of watching the sport move forward while Ferrari stands still.
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Leclerc eyes exit from Maranello
Off the track, the whispers about Leclerc’s future have grown louder. Reports in Italy suggest that his management team, led by Nicolas Todt, has begun quietly exploring alternatives for the years beyond his current contract. According to rmcmotori.com, Todt has held discreet discussions with several teams, testing the waters in case the situation at Ferrari fails to improve.
The timing is significant. The 2027 season will introduce new technical regulations that will reshape the competitive landscape. Veterans may retire and younger drivers may falter, leaving a narrow window for proven stars like Leclerc to reposition themselves. The fact that his management is already scouting possibilities suggests a lack of faith that Ferrari can close the gap soon.
While no commitments have been made, the mere existence of these conversations indicates that other teams see an opportunity. If a leading seat becomes available, potentially at Mercedes or Red Bull, should their current line-ups change, Leclerc could become the most sought-after free agent on the grid.
Ferrari is at a crossroads
For now, both driver and team are maintaining a positive outlook. Ferrari remains a brand steeped in pride, and Leclerc continues to say all the right things about loyalty and motivation. However, beneath this public composure, an undeniable truth lies: the partnership is under strain.
While Ferrari’s engineers are focusing resources on the 2026 car, the current SF-25 is effectively frozen in its flaws. Meanwhile, McLaren continues to build momentum, Red Bull has rediscovered its rhythm, and even Mercedes — after a long lull — seems to have overtaken the Scuderia.
For Leclerc, every race now feels like damage limitation. He is driving to preserve his dignity rather than to win. When a driver of his calibre starts thinking about what comes next, it suggests that Ferrari’s problems run deeper than brake temperatures or strategy calls.
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The long road ahead
Leclerc says he’s motivated to “turn things around”, but the road to redemption looks long and uncertain. The team’s leadership insists that progress is coming, yet Ferrari’s loyal fans are growing impatient. Two poor weekends in a row may just be the surface symptom of a much larger malaise that cannot be cured with setup tweaks or hopeful soundbites.
For now, Ferrari’s drivers will continue to wrestle with a car that refuses to cooperate. Their race engineers will continue to monitor brake temperatures and tyre wear, hoping for a better weekend in Austin. And Leclerc will keep fighting, even when, as he said over the radio, it feels like he’s just a passenger.
As ever, the jury is watching, and wondering how much longer Ferrari can afford to drift before their brightest star decides to get off the ride altogether.
MORE F1 NEWS – Horner’s Ex-Assistant Paid £3m to Drop Allegations
Christian Horner’s former assistant is believed to be Fiona Hewitson, the woman at the centre of the sex text scandal that shook Formula 1 earlier this year. According to Jonathan McEvoy’s report in the Daily Mail, the unnamed Red Bull employee at the heart of the controversy received a £3 million settlement in exchange for dropping her allegations and leaving the team, a deal that appears to have brought one of the most turbulent off-track sagas in recent Formula 1 history to a close.
Although the woman’s identity is legally protected, multiple sources in the paddock now believe it to be Hewitson, Horner’s former executive assistant. Her reappearance in the paddock, working alongside Dan Towriss, CEO of the new Cadillac F1 Team, during the Singapore Grand Prix, has only fuelled speculation.
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