Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Luca di Montezemolo saddened by what he’s heard Fred Vasseur say about Ferrari.
Seeing Ferrari’s plight persist saddens former Scuderia chairman Luca di Montezemolo, who has now hit out at Vasseur for issuing bold declarations about title bids without the results to justify his claims. Di Montezemolo even feels Ferrari have “no leadership” under Vasseur.
12 September 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Di Montezemolo told Sky Italia: “The thing that saddens me today is to see a Ferrari [team] that has no leader. There is no leadership and, above all, I see that they lack a strong, determined soul. Announcements are made that often create excessive expectations. First, we get the results and then we make the announcements.”

Di Montezemolo left his role as chairman of Ferrari back in 2014, but he is still yet to see the Scuderia add to the titles they won under his watch from 1974. Vasseur came close to taking the constructors’ title back to Maranello in 2024, but McLaren beat Ferrari by just 14 points. The 2024 season was supposed to act as a springboard for another title bid in 2025, aided by the arrival of Hamilton from Mercedes. But Leclerc scored Ferrari’s only pole position yet in 2025 in Hungary, and they are gaining from Red Bull and Mercedes being one-man teams.

Fighting for second place was not what Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had in mind back after pre-season testing in Bahrain. The 57-year-old stated that both titles would be Ferrari’s objective in the 2025 F1 season, as the Scuderia have two drivers who “can do it” this term. But Vasseur has conceded the 2025 F1 constructors’ title to McLaren, who can win the title in Baku if they leave next week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a 346-point lead over Ferrari. It will continue Ferrari’s wait to add to their last teams’ title in 2008, and drivers’ title in 2007.

‘Bold declarations about title bids without the results to justify his claims’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/luc...about-ferrari/


Ferrari believes Hamilton’s arrival helps Leclerc to his best level yet
10 Sep 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Team principal Frederic Vasseur believes Charles Leclerc has improved in various aspects this season. Vasseur considers today’s Leclerc the best version so far, he explained on the Beyond the Grid podcast, and that can also be attributed to the arrival of Hamilton.

"Probably, yes [this is the best we've seen from Leclerc]. And clearly, I think this (Hamilton's arrival, ed.) helped also a little bit to release some pressure from Charles," he began.
"He did a very good job from the beginning of the season. I think Charles also improved in terms of approach, structure, he's more mature. I don't know if it's a part of the contribution of Lewis, but it's coming from the maturity of Charles."

‘Improved in various aspects this season’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/ferra...best-level-yet


Eddie Irvine says Lewis Hamilton hasn’t learned the most important lesson from Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari move
9 September 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has so far not delivered on the hype that was generated throughout the pre-season, with the seven-time world champion yet to finish on the podium. It was a poor start to the second half of the season when Hamilton crashed out of the Dutch Grand Prix, then he was handed a five-place grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement at Ferrari’s home race in Monza.

Discussing why Hamilton has struggled to find his feet at Ferrari in an interview with Sky Sports F1, former driver Eddie Irvine thinks the seven-time world champion has not learned from what Michael Schumacher faced when he made the move in 1996. “There is always a price. Michael gave up a lot, probably two or three world championships to leave Benetton to go to Ferrari. In the first few years, nobody had any idea how bad it was at Ferrari,” said Irvine.

“Michael knew there was no point for him because he was so much better than everyone else, he just decided, ‘I’m going to go there’ and it was amazing. People forget it took him four years. He was always in the vicinity, but he was driving the wheels off the thing to be there. So it was very easy for it not to happen. I would love Verstappen to come to Ferrari, I hope he doesn’t leave it too late like Lewis did.”

‘Not learned from what Michael Schumacher faced when he made the move in 1996’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/edd...-ferrari-move/


How Ferrari mechanics privately felt about Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s results at Monza
8 September 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Ferrari mechanics felt Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc produced the ‘maximum’ they could at Monza. Ferrari’s results move them 20 points clear of Mercedes in the constructors’ championship. But the Tifosi did not get to see their heroes stand on the podium as Max Verstappen claimed the win ahead of the McLarens.

But that did not seem to faze the Ferrari mechanics. Journalist Aaron Deckers noted that they felt Hamilton and Leclerc produced the ‘maximum’ they could in the SF-25 and that they could not do anymore. “Well, of course. It all looked a lot better, actually. Also the free practice on Friday, Saturday morning,” said Deckers via RacingNews365. “Only in qualifying they were suddenly, well, maybe a bit exaggerated, but they were actually beaten well by Verstappen and by the McLarens.’

“And in the race pace, they just really came up short. So it was mainly a bit of disappointment, especially from the Ferrari drivers. The team was still quite optimistic actually, as we just spoke with some mechanics and also within the team. There was a bit of feeling of, ‘OK, this was the maximum we could do, and yeah, what more could we do than that?’” Optimism was high in Maranello ahead of their home race as they believed that they could make a step up on home soil. ‘Everyone’ at Ferrari felt they could challenge McLaren at Monza, but no one dared to admit it. Ultimately, they would come up short…

‘Mainly a bit of disappointment’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/how...ults-at-monza/


Ferrari Eye Shock Hamilton Replacement With F1 Star on Radar
Lewis Hamilton has had a tough start to life at Ferrari.
10 Sep 2025
Marcus Chan
SPORTbible

Ferrari have reportedly identified their top target to replace Lewis Hamilton. At the start of the season, all eyes were fixated on seven-time Formula 1 world champion Hamilton after his high-profile move from Mercedes to Ferrari. However, the 40-year-old has so far struggled to perform at his best as he continues to adapt to his new surroundings. Currently, Hamilton is sixth in the standings with 117 points, 46 behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

As Hamilton's poor form continues, doubts over the Stevenage-born star's future in the sport have grown massively. Recently, it has been reported that Ferrari could look to McLaren when choosing Hamilton's successor. According to Mundo Deportivo journalist Fabio Marchi, the Scuderia are keeping a close eye on McLaren star and championship leader Oscar Piastri. He said on the Cortito y al Pie podcast: "The other day I spoke with an Italian journalist who was certain Ferrari is keeping a close watch on Piastri."

‘Ferrari have reportedly identified their top target’;

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/ferrar...40842-20250910

[Fortitude]

Rosberg to Hadjar: Reject Red Bull’s Poisoned Chalice Now.
“If I am Isack, I’m saying no,” the 2016 World Champion told Sky F1, stressing that a late-season move next to Verstappen can be a career booby trap. That seat is a benchmark from hell. You step in midstream, barely any setup history, up against a driver who can drive around the car’s quirks and is wired into the team — and you’re judged immediately.
September 14, 2025
Alex Albuquerque
Fastest Lap

It’s a warning born from a long, uncomfortable list. Red Bull’s second seat has dealt out harsh lessons for talented drivers in the Verstappen era. The RB21 is quick in the right window but a narrow one, and Verstappen has built the window around himself. Anyone arriving at short notice will be fighting the car, the clock and the comparisons. Jamie Chadwick, on pundit duty, agreed with the risk assessment — just not the practicality. In her view, if the boss calls, Hadjar can’t really say no.

She’d want to keep learning in the car he knows, especially with unfamiliar tracks like Las Vegas and Singapore still to come, but admits the word “no” carries limited currency in that situation. She also called it what it so often becomes at the wrong time: a poisoned chalice. Here’s the thing: Hadjar doesn’t need the chaos. He’s got momentum, he’s banked a signature result, and he’s earning the kind of trust that makes winter decisions easier, calmer and more deliberate. Racing Bulls have been clear they want the season to run its course.

Red Bull know better than anyone that yanking the wheel mid-season can spook a young driver and muddle the data. There’s also the Yuki question. Tsunoda’s form at the senior team is under the microscope, and that pressure doesn’t ease with every Verstappen win-or-bust weekend. But if Red Bull really want to evaluate options, they’ll get a far cleaner read by waiting for a reset — new parts, new tyres, new baseline, new calendar. Not by throwing a rookie into the hottest seat in the sport with eight races and no testing.

‘That seat is a benchmark from hell’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/rosberg-...d-chalice-now/


Podium To Probation: FIA Warns Hadjar After Monza Shortcut
06 Sep 2025
Alex Albuquerque
Fastest Lap

The glow of Zandvoort didn’t last long. Seven days after banking his first Formula 1 podium, Isack Hadjar’s Italian Grand Prix weekend veered off script with a formal warning from the FIA for failing to follow the race director’s instructions — for the second time in Monza. The flashpoint came in final practice. Hadjar, in the Racing Bulls RB01, missed Turn 4 and cut to the right of the gravel at the second chicane without using the prescribed escape road at Turns 4/5.

That shortcut is one of Monza’s most rigidly policed procedures, spelled out in the race director’s event notes. Stewards called in Car 6, reviewed footage and team radio, and accepted Hadjar’s account that it happened at low speed on an out-lap after a left-front lock-up while he was warming tyres. With no cars nearby and no danger created, the panel opted against a sporting penalty — but they didn’t mince words about the pattern.

“Although this is the driver’s second offence of such nature during the weekend and repeat offences regularly warrant more severe penalties,” the stewards wrote, they would stop short of escalating this time. The sting in the tail: the team and driver were told a similar misstep before the chequered flag would “draw a more severe penalty.”

‘The glow of Zandvoort didn’t last long’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/podium-t...onza-shortcut/


Isack Hadjar slams Carlos Sainz after Monza qualifying clash
The Racing Bulls rookie accused Williams driver Carlos Sainz of disrupting his rhythm and costing him a chance at Q2
7 September 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

The 2025 Italian Grand Prix qualifying session delivered its usual share of drama, but one of the most heated storylines came not at the sharp end of the grid, but in the mid-pack. Isack Hadjar, fresh from his maiden Formula 1 podium at Zandvoort, endured a miserable Saturday at Monza after being eliminated in Q1. The French rookie accused Carlos Sainz of “playing around” on their out-laps, disrupting his tyre preparation and contributing to his early exit.

“We actually were really fast, the car was really good,” Hadjar said, visibly exasperated. “I mean the out-lap was a mess with Carlos, he was just playing around a lot to then let me by. I don’t know why we even went out on track in the first place on new tyres to just cruise around.”

Hadjar admitted he made an error on his flying lap, but was adamant the situation with Sainz had left him unsettled at a critical moment. “It’s my first mistake in quali in a while, so it happens,” Hadjar added. “I was on new tyres, Carlos was on used. He was playing around, trying to make my lap difficult on my out-lap and then not really letting me by properly. I just don’t know what he was doing.”

‘Isack Hadjar slams Carlos Sainz’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...lifying-clash/


Isack Hadjar takes aim at ‘super annoying’ Carlos Sainz after F1 career first
6 Sep 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

The French-Algerian rookie cut a frustrated figure after the session, with Hadjar heard expressing his annoyance over team radio having suffered a wide moment at Lesmo 2 on his final lap. Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com, Hadjar – who confirmed that he is set to take an engine penalty for Sunday’s race – pointed the finger at Sainz for compromising his outlap.

Hadjar told PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher and other publications at Monza: “He was just super annoying on the outlap. He was not going to push anyway. “I don’t know why he was fighting so hard for track position and then just let me by on my lap, so I compromised the outlap for nothing. And later on, I made a mistake. But honestly, all of that doesn’t matter because I’m starting last tomorrow.”

‘Super annoying’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/carlos...awson-annoying


What has triggered the latest spat between Racing Bulls and Williams at the F1 Italian GP
07 Sep 2025
Fleur Rogerson
WilliamsF1 Supporters

“Why does Sainz have to be so annoying? Who the hell does an out-lap, a warm-up? I mean, what was he doing?”, Hadjar said on the radio. “He’s just playing around to just let me by like s**t.” The issue ultimately was the run plan that Williams had chosen to use, with Sainz being put through an out-lap and a warm-up lap prior to attempting a timed run.

The peculiar run plan garnered confusion from Hadjar even after the session. “He was just super annoying on the out-lap,” Hadjar told told media including Motorsport Week. “He was not going to push anyway, so I don’t know why he was fighting so hard for track position and to then just let me buy on my lap.So I’m compromised on the out-lap for nothing, and yeah, later on I made a mistake.”

‘The latest spat’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...f1-italian-gp/


Isack Hadjar issues sombre assessment ahead of Azerbaijan GP
13 Sept 2025
Samson Ero
GPblog.com

Isack Hadjar has weighed in on what to expect ahead of the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Racing Bulls driver has cast a gloomy verdict on his team’s chances at the Baku street race. “I think it’s strong on every layout — it’s just a quick car. But on some surfaces, with weird tarmac or heavy graining, we’ve struggled. In Bahrain and Canada, for example, we were nowhere. So yes, there will be tougher weekends. Baku will be very challenging,” Hadjar said to GPblog.

Speaking with GPblog during the Italian Grand Prix, he stated: “The hardest thing is not to think about it too much. Whether it’s a good result or a bad one, you put it behind you, get back in the car and do your job. It’s actually very easy.”

Hadjar indeed has proven to be a driver with resilience – considering the sort of start he had to his Formula 1 career. The former F2 driver crashed on the formation lap of the season opener in Australia and has since risen from the lows of the incident to claim his first F1 podium finish for the Racing Bulls outfit.

‘Gloomy verdict’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/isack...-azerbaijan-gp

[Fortitude]

‘It’s a complete change’ – Vasseur suggests Ferrari ‘underestimated’ the factors around Hamilton’s move.
Vasseur, though, is not concerned, underlining the various factors Hamilton has been getting used to in an appearance on F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast.
15 Sep 2025
Formula One - Official Site

“I don’t know if we underestimated the importance of the change,” said Vasseur. “Probably, because he spent 10 years at McLaren, then 12 with Mercedes, but it was a kind of continuity – two teams based in the UK with the same engine, same environment.”

“[Joining Ferrari] is a complete change for him, in his life, the culture of the team and everything. To do it in three test days in the winter period is quite difficult – and I think also the expectation was huge. We have to put everything in place, and it’s taking time. We have to also manage expectations and manage the noise around the team.”

“If we are not able to put everything together from the preparation of the weekend, the adaptation to the simulator, blah, blah, blah, until Sunday, you can miss one-tenth there or one-tenth there. This is making a huge difference in terms of pure results.”

“It’s taking time”;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...n6DUU0UiBAZaJX


Schumacher’s Stark Warning: Hamilton’s Ferrari Honeymoon Is Over
Alex Albuquerque
September 14, 2025
14 Sep 2025
Fastest Lap

Lewis Hamilton got through Monza without tripping over himself. That’s the good news. The bad news, according to Ralf Schumacher, is that Ferrari’s new signing is still making mistakes that don’t belong on a driver of his experience — and they’re starting to cost. Hamilton arrived in Italy carrying a five-place grid penalty for failing to slow under double yellows on the formation run to the grid at Zandvoort. Zandvoort was where it unravelled. Hamilton twice looped the car and then lost it for good after putting a wheel on the painted white line into Turn 3 in mixed conditions.

Post race, the stewards added that penalty for the Monza weekend. For Schumacher, watching on for Sky Deutschland, that’s a pattern Ferrari can’t afford. “He needs to be a bit more professional,” Schumacher said. “With his experience, that really shouldn’t happen. He has to be careful with things like that so the fans continue to support him — that could also annoy the Tifosi.”

Schumacher’s broader point is hard to argue. Before the summer shut off, Hamilton’s season sagged under two bruising rounds: back to back Q1 eliminations at Spa across sprint qualifying and the main session, followed by a recovery drive to seventh; then Hungary, where he fell in Q2 and ended up a lap down and out of the points after a skirmish and an off while dicing with Max Verstappen. Hamilton didn’t sugarcoat it, calling himself “useless, absolutely useless” and joking “they probably need to change driver” given Ferrari’s one lap form.

‘Honeymoon Is Over’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/schumach...ymoon-is-over/


'Lonely' Vasseur's Ferrari slammed as 'soulless' by Scuderia icon
15 Sep 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

Former Ferrari President Luca Di Montezemola believes the Scuderia currently lacks 'soul' and 'stability'. Ferrari's former President, Di Montezemolo, has issued his verdict on the team's current form and believes the lack of sporting achievements is a reflection of the Scuderia's internal state. "Today there is no leadership," he said in an interview with La Gazzetta Dello Sport, "and above all there is a lack of soul.”

"I don't know Vasseur and I don't criticise him but I see a lonely man. Too many changes, we need stability in the team." These comments come after Ferrari's 2024 promise shown by nearly snatching the Constructors' championship from McLaren was unable to be carried over into 2025.

“Lack of soul”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/scude...ulless-ferrari


Ferrari's Leadership Under Fire Amid Winless Season
September 14, 2025
Nelson Espinal Newsweek
The News Tribune, Washington

Former Ferrari leader Luca di Montezemolo called out the current race team's leadership during their winless campaign. Despite entering the season with much hype and anticipation, the Scuderia has failed to deliver a race win.

While the team appears united around Vasseur, Di Montezemolo has expressed concerns about the current decision-makers, given the run of disappointing results. "I saw the beautiful images of the fans and then a team that, despite so many announcements on the eve of the race, has not won a single race to date," he told Sky Italia. "And even if it had won a race, Ferrari after so many years must win the World Championship.”

"I think today's Ferrari has even more responsibility towards them. And even if it had won a race, Ferrari after so many years must win the World Championship. The thing I regret today is seeing a Ferrari that has no leader, there is no leadership and above all I see that it lacks a strong, determined soul. Announcements are made that often create excessive expectations. First, we do the results and then we make the announcements."

“Lacks a strong, determined soul”;

https://www.thenewstribune.com/sport...mainstage_card


'It was a very sad weekend for Ferrari fans", F1 insider claims
15 Sep 2025
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Dutch F1 pundit Robert Doornbos shared his thoughts over Ferrari’s performance in the Monza home race weekend. Analyzing Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s fourth and sixth-place finishes in Italy on The Pit Talk podcast, the former Red Bull driver said: ''There's a lot of pressure on Ferrari. And coming to their home event, they have basically two home races. They have Imola, but Monza is the real one, and they know it, so they have to deliver for the Tifosi.''

''It was a very sad weekend for Ferrari fans. The whole season hasn't been great, to be honest, but I think the Dutch Grand Prix was a definite low, with Lewis Hamilton making a driver error, the seven-time world champion going off on his own and destroying the car. I mean, that's not the Lewis we all like to see, and particularly not Ferrari.' 'Then there was also Charles Leclerc, who crashed out of the race, basically, not to his own mistake, but they just didn't have it.''

''He then added: ''I think coming in Monza, in the Temple of Speed, where they had to show their true pace. They had the set -up, the balance, the speed, and in qualifying it looked reasonably promising with a third place for Charles. Then come the race, they didn't really have the speed anymore.' 'In the opening laps it looks exciting and then they drop back. So fourth and sixth, it's better than crashing out with two cars, for sure. But it's still not where Ferrari wants to be.''

“They have to deliver for the Tifosi'';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/f1-in...r-ferrari-fans


Hamilton convinced Ferrari struggles ‘preparing us for better days’
15/09/2025
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Hamilton conceded that the transition has not gone entirely as planned, citing both technical and cultural hurdles. While he had a year to prepare for his move to Maranello following the bombshell announcement in February 2024, the F1 veteran says there were aspects of the change that caught everyone off guard.

“I don’t remember every single season, to be honest, so I don’t really want to compare it to others, but I'm sure there have been plenty of seasons that have felt difficult,” Hamilton explained in Monza last time out. “I remember 2009 was difficult; I remember 2010, 2011 wasn’t great, and 2012 was a pivotal moment for me, and obviously 2022 and 2023, so there’s been plenty of others that were just different. But I was in a different place in my life.”

“There’s been a lot of adjustment, both from my side and the team’s side. They’ve really moved heaven and earth to accommodate me,” Hamilton said, acknowledging the team’s commitment to his integration. “Obviously, there are cultural differences,” the Briton admitted. “Fred made a comment that perhaps they underestimated me joining the team and the year we’ve been faced with in terms of the problems with the car, so it's a combination of all those things. But honestly, the harder it is, the better it can make you. This year has been tough for everyone in the team, but it has prepared us for better days.”

‘Preparing us for better days’;

https://f1i.com/news/548467-hamilton...tter-days.html