Ferrari cracks at home, Hamilton frustrated as McLaren surges ahead at Imola

Ferrari’s pain runs deep in front of the Tifosi
There was a visible weight on Charles Leclerc’s shoulders as he stepped out of his Ferrari after qualifying at Imola. The roar of the tifosi had faded into an uneasy hush. This wasn’t just another missed pole position, it was a collapse on sacred ground, only 50 miles from Ferrari’s soul in Maranello.

Oscar Piastri, the rising McLaren star, clocked a near-perfect lap to seize pole. Leclerc, nearly a full second behind, couldn’t mask his devastation.


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"Very disappointed, especially at home at such a special grand prix for the team, it hurts. It would have hurt anyway at whatever track, but here it hurts even more," he admitted.

This marks the second consecutive weekend Ferrari failed to improve on fresh tyres, a concerning trend as the Formula 1 season intensifies.

Hamilton still searching for answers in first season with Ferrari
While Leclerc was contending with expectations from within, Lewis Hamilton was contending with expectations from the world.

Despite positive feedback about Ferrari’s improvements at the Imola Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion found himself over a tenth slower than his teammate and significantly off the pace of both Red Bull and McLaren.

"I feel gutted, I guess... the car was generally feeling really good," said Hamilton. "We just can't go quicker. If you look at how quick Max is going through Turn Two and Three, we just can't match it."

Hamilton noted that their soft tyre didn’t provide the expected grip during final qualifying runs, a frustration echoed by the entire team as their technical struggles mount.

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Still, Hamilton isn’t sounding the alarm yet. His move to Ferrari was always about the long game.

"This is a foundation-building year... getting to grips with everything within the team, making changes... I have all the faith and belief we can do that."

Where the 2025 F1 season stands
Leclerc sits fifth in the drivers' standings. Hamilton, still finding rhythm in his debut season with Ferrari, is seventh. The team as a whole is fourth in the constructors’ championship, now trailing leaders McLaren by a staggering 152 points.