The neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip may have been shining brightly this weekend, but inside the Ferrari garage, the mood was pitch black. What was touted as a resurgence for the Scuderia has dissolved into open frustration, with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc unleashing scathing critiques of their team following a disastrous Las Vegas Grand Prix.
As the 2025 season nears its conclusion, the tension at Ferrari has reached a boiling point. The Las Vegas weekend, rather than being a spectacle of speed, became a theater of conflict, marked by “embarrassing” performances, baffled strategic calls, and a seven-time world champion claiming he is simply “eager for it to end.”
Hamilton’s “Horrendous” Low Point
For Lewis Hamilton, the weekend was a historic struggle. The British legend suffered a career-first qualifying result of finishing last on merit, a shocking statistic for a driver with 19 years at the pinnacle of the sport. Forced to start from P20, Hamilton faced an uphill battle from the moment the lights went out.
Although he managed to slice through the field to cross the line in 10th—later promoted to 8th following technical disqualifications for both McLarens—there was no sense of achievement in his post-race comments.
“It’s a terrible result. There is nothing positive to take from today,” Hamilton told BBC Radio 5 Live, his voice heavy with resignation. “I’m eager for it to end. I’m looking forward to it ending. I’m not looking forward to the next one.”
The race itself was plagued by mechanical struggles. Hamilton reported severe balance issues, citing brakes that were “locking the fronts, locking the rears” with “no middle ground.” But what truly ignited his fury was the strategy. Moments after the race concluded, Hamilton’s frustration spilled over the team radio, challenging his race engineer, Ricardo Adami.
“What happened with the strategy? How did I end up in 10th? I thought we were looking good at one point,” Hamilton questioned pointedly, adding a sting in the tail by comparing their performance to his former team. “How did Mercedes that were behind me get all the way up there?”
With only two races remaining in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, Hamilton faces the grim prospect of his first-ever Formula 1 season without a single podium finish. Describing the year as “the worst season ever,” the 40-year-old’s dream move to Ferrari is currently looking more like a recurring nightmare.
Leclerc’s “Embarrassing” Rant
On the other side of the garage, Charles Leclerc was no happier. The Monegasque driver, who started ninth, delivered a profanity-laced tirade over the radio that captured the chaotic atmosphere within the team.
“My god, embarrassing. F***ing embarrassing,” Leclerc erupted after crossing the line. “I don’t get how we can be so off the pace. There’s like zero grip.”
Leclerc finished 6th, but like his teammate, he felt let down by the pit wall. Despite driving what he felt was a “near perfect” race personally, pushing “200%,” he was baffled by strategic decisions that saw him lose track position to Oscar Piastri.
“I don’t really understand what happened around the pit stop, but it seems that we’ve lost quite a few places,” Leclerc admitted to reporters. He also highlighted a long-standing issue with the car’s wet-weather and low-grip performance, a weakness he claims has persisted since he joined the team in 2019. “We’ve turned the car upside down… it’s just extremely difficult to find the grip with our car. Very, very unpredictable.”
Vasseur Plays Firefighter
Amidst the cacophony of driver complaints, Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur attempted to play the role of peacemaker. Acknowledging that “emotions run high” immediately after a race, Vasseur urged for calm and perspective.
“Let’s calm down,” Vasseur said, addressing the media. “To jump out of the car and to make the first comment, it’s always a bit too much.”
Vasseur defended the team’s performance, insisting that the raw pace was present but hampered by qualifying woes and traffic. He argued that Leclerc was genuinely faster than the cars ahead but was stuck in turbulent air, unable to exploit the SF25’s potential. Regarding the strategy that enraged Hamilton, Vasseur remained defiant, suggesting it is “always easy to talk after the race” and maintaining that the team’s aggressive approach was calculated, even if it didn’t pay off.
A Tense Finale Awaits
As the Formula 1 circus packs up and heads to the Middle East for the final double-header of 2025, the pressure on Ferrari is immense. The disconnect between the data Vasseur sees and the “nightmare” the drivers feel is widening.
For Hamilton, a driver accustomed to fighting for wins, scraping for minor points while battling his own machinery is a bitter pill to swallow. With a winless drought stretching beyond a year and the ignominy of a podium-less season looming, the final two rounds will be a test of character for both the driver and the prancing horse.
“It’s been the worst season ever, and no matter how much I try, it keeps getting worse,” Hamilton lamented. For the Tifosi, the hope is that 2026 brings a fresh start, because right now, the current chapter is one everyone at Maranello seems desperate to close.
