Ferrari entered the Qatar Grand Prix under pressure after a difficult run of races, but the weekend began with another severe setback. While McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull fought for pole, Ferrari’s two drivers were never close to the front. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc faced a repeat of the issues that have defined much of their season. The SF 25 lacked balance, grip and consistency, and neither driver could extract meaningful performance in either the sprint or qualifying.
Hamilton continued his struggle from previous rounds. He started the sprint from the pit lane and finished seventeenth. Qualifying brought no relief. He was knocked out in Q1 for the second consecutive race and the third time in a row if the sprint session is included. Hamilton said the car felt slightly better after changes, but the pace was still far below what was needed to reach Q2. From eighteenth on the grid, the chances of scoring points at Losail remain slim. When asked if he had a message for fans, Hamilton paused for several moments before thanking them and admitting he had little more he could offer after such a difficult year.
Leclerc also faced an uncompetitive package. He reached Q3 but finished tenth, more than a second behind pole sitter Oscar Piastri. Oversteer plagued him throughout practice and qualifying, culminating in two spins at Turn 15 during his final run. He said the car was extremely difficult to keep on the track and that he and the team were extracting all they could from a limited baseline. His comments reflected rare frustration from a driver who often maintains a positive outlook. He said it was hard to find optimism for the race because the car showed no improvement through any session.
The sprint reflected the same pattern. Leclerc attempted to reset mentally after qualifying but went off track several times and dropped to thirteenth. He described the situation as one with no clear path forward. He said the only realistic hope for Ferrari would be external factors such as a Safety Car or unexpected incidents that scatter the order. His assessment was blunt. Ferrari currently lacks the performance to compete on merit.
Ferrari has fought persistent issues throughout the season, including inconsistent balance and sensitivity to ride height. Those problems became magnified at Losail, where high speed corners expose weaknesses in stability and tyre management. McLaren and Red Bull were able to maintain confidence at the limit. Ferrari was not.
With Piastri and Norris locking out the front row and Verstappen close behind, the championship fight continues without Ferrari in the picture. For Hamilton and Leclerc, the Qatar weekend showed how far the SF 25 has drifted from the required level. The team will need to rely on race developments rather than raw pace, a position that would have been unthinkable at the start of the season.
