Ferrari’s ‘Mindset’ Challenge as Lewis Hamilton Era Begins in….read more
Ferrari is gearing up for a new chapter in Formula 1 as the legendary Lewis Hamilton joins the team for the 2025 season, and team principal Fred Vasseur has made it clear that the key to success won’t come from focusing on just a few improvements — the entire team must adopt a mindset of constant progress.
Following a narrow miss in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, where Ferrari finished behind McLaren, the iconic Italian team is determined to break its long title drought, with its last championship glory dating back to 2008. As preparations for the upcoming season gain momentum, Vasseur has outlined a crucial shift in perspective, stating that the team must believe every area of performance requires ongoing enhancement.
When asked about Ferrari’s primary areas of focus for the 2025 season, Vasseur was clear that there’s no single answer. “Honestly, I don’t know, because I think it would be a mistake to think that there is one thing,” Vasseur told the media, including PlanetF1.com. “If you want to do a good job, you have to be focused on every single pillar of the performance, on every single area, on reliability. It’s true for every single part of the car. It means that we have to improve everywhere.”
He stressed that rather than compiling a list of issues to address, Ferrari must adopt a culture of daily improvement across all departments, with everyone contributing to performance gains. “I don’t want to finger-point someone or a group, but I think on every single area and every single department of the company, we just have to do a better job,” Vasseur continued.
Importantly, he emphasized that this approach should not be seen as criticism but rather as an essential part of Ferrari’s DNA. “It has to be the mindset of the team that we have to come each morning to try to do a better job than yesterday, and to try to improve what we are doing, hundredths of seconds by hundredths of seconds. But this mindset is the DNA of our sport, and if we don’t have it, we are dead.”
To achieve this, Vasseur stated he would push every employee to recognize their role as a contributor to performance, ensuring Ferrari evolves beyond what it accomplished in 2024.
The first glimpse of Ferrari’s 2025 challenger, the SF-25, will come on February 19 with a shakedown run at Fiorano, where Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will drive the new car for the first time. This initial test will be followed by pre-season testing in Bahrain from February 26 to 28, offering the team a crucial opportunity to fine-tune their machine ahead of the new campaign.
The 2025 Formula 1 season officially kicks off on March 16 at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, marking the return of the Australian Grand Prix as the season-opener for the first time since 2019.
With a seven-time world champion now in their ranks and a renewed focus on constant improvement, Ferrari is clearly aiming for nothing less than a return to the top of the F1 world. Whether this mindset shift will be enough to end their championship drought remains to be seen, but the Scuderia’s ambition is unmistakable.
