Recap: Scuderia Ferrari’s European Stretch, from Imola to Silverstone

 

From the home pressure at Imola to the chaos of Silverstone: Ferrari’s run from race 7 through race 12 was a mix of emotions, near-misses, and moments of real momentum. Leclerc found form in Monaco and Spain, Hamilton delivered in Imola and Austria, and the team showed it can fight.

After a mixed start to the 2025 season, detailed in this recap of Races 1 to 6, Ferrari entered the European stretch looking to turn consistency into momentum. As of the 2025 British Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc is fifth and Lewis Hamilton is sixth in the Driver's Championship. Scuderia Ferrari is runner-up in the Constructor's Championship.

Race 7: 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (16-18 May)

At Imola, the expectation was huge. Ferrari on home soil, tifosi in full voice, and a car that had shown real progress on Sundays, but still not enough on Saturdays. Qualifying made that point painfully clear. Leclerc started 11th and Hamilton, even further back in 12th. On a track where overtaking is tight and track position usually decides everything, that should’ve been game over, but it wasn’t. The SF-25 came alive in Sunday’s race. Both drivers carved through the field, Hamilton climbing eight spots to finish P4 and Leclerc gaining five places to cross the line in P6. The car looked strong on both Mediums and Hards, and the strategy calls from the pit wall hit the right windows.

For Hamilton, it was his cleanest race yet in red. He spoke afterward about finally feeling connected with the car, something he’d been chasing since his Sprint victory in China. The balance felt right, the tyre degradation was under control, and the team delivered on every stop. Leclerc, meanwhile, was less thrilled. He knew there was more on the table, if not for badly timed Safety Cars and a tyre call that left him exposed late on. Ferrari left him out on Hards when others pitted for Softs. The team also asked him to give a position back to Alex Albon to avoid a penalty risk, which added to the sting.

 

Race 8: 2025 Monaco Grand Prix (23-25 May)

From the wide straights of Imola to the narrow walls of Monte Carlo, Ferrari needed a reset, and they got it. The streets of Monaco played to the SF-25’s strengths, rewarding mechanical grip, confidence under braking, and good tyre management. Practice pace was strong from the outset, and qualifying brought one of the team's best sessions of the year. Leclerc missed out on pole by 0:00.109 and lined up P2, while Hamilton secured a spot in fourth place.

At lights out, Leclerc maintained position with a measured launch, keeping pressure on the leader while avoiding risk into Sainte-Dévote. The race was interrupted early by a Virtual Safety Car, neutralising strategies across the board. Ferrari committed to a two-stop plan, timing both stops to preserve track position without sacrificing tyre performance. As the field settled, Leclerc comfortably held P2 to the chequered flag, scoring his best result of the season. Hamilton made no progress from his starting spot and crossed the line in P5. With 28 points collected, Monaco was a great race weekend for the Scuderia and a clear sign of what the package could do when conditions aligned.

 

Race 9: 2025 Spanish Grand Prix (30 May - 1 June)

Barcelona brought another opportunity for consistency, a track well-known to engineers and drivers alike because of the test sessions earlier in the year. Friday’s sessions focused on evaluating new rear wing flex adjustments, part of an ongoing development cycle aimed at balancing rear-end stability with top-speed performance. In qualifying, Ferrari once again found themselves in the thick of a competitive midfield. Hamilton and Leclerc lined up P5 and P7 respectively, with both drivers opting for a soft-tyre start on race day.

Off the line, Leclerc reacted brilliantly, jumping several positions into Turn 1 and slotting into P4. Hamilton, too, held firm, preserving tyres through the early laps as degradation levels began to rise. The team executed a clean one-stop strategy, transitioning to mediums before the halfway mark. Leclerc stayed within undercut range of the podium fight and pounced late to secure P3, delivering another trip to the podium. Hamilton couldn’t held off a charging Nico Hülkenberg, who passed him for the fifth place on the penultimate lap. Hamilton took P6.

 

Race 10: 2025 Canadian Grand Prix (13-15 June)

Montréal brought a return to chaos. The circuit, with its blend of sharp braking zones and low-grip surface, has a way of producing the unpredictable. This year was no exception. Ferrari’s weekend started on the back foot after Leclerc crashed in turn 3 in FP1, damaging the floor and sidelining him for most of FP2. Hamilton put in solid laps, but changing conditions throughout Friday and Saturday complicated setup choices. In qualifying, both drivers managed to reach Q3, with Hamilton starting P5 and Leclerc in P8.

The race quickly turned into a test of adaptability. Ferrari opted for a two-stop approach, anticipating tyre graining in the colder conditions. Both drivers gained ground as rivals ahead pitted early or suffered damage. Leclerc executed several clean passes and set the fastest lap of the race on his final stint. Hamilton’s race was hindered mid-way by contact with a piece of debris, later revealed to be a small animal, which compromised his floor and cost him performance. Despite this, he held on to finish P6, while Leclerc brought home P5.

*Charles Leclerc did not take part in FP2, due to the damage of his off in FP1.

Race 11: 2025 Austrian Grand Prix (27-29 June)

The Red Bull Ring delivered drama from the first lap. Max Verstappen was out almost immediately after contact with Kimi Antonelli, triggering an early Safety Car that reset the field. That opened the door for Ferrari to make a move, and they did. Leclerc jumped at the chance, holding steady in third behind the McLarens, while Hamilton kept close in fourth. Both SF-25s showed strong race pace, especially on the Hard compound, with Ferrari choosing to extend the first stint and avoid the early pit-lane traffic, which worked out perfectly. When the field shook out, Leclerc was still in podium territory and Hamilton right behind him.

From there, the race was about holding position. Leclerc brought it home in P3, a clean, controlled drive. Hamilton finished just behind in P4, having fended off pressure from behind and kept tyre wear in check. A solid 27-point haul from a team that did everything right Given the pace gap to McLaren, that was about as much as Ferrari could have taken from the weekend.

Race 12: 2025 British Grand Prix (4-6 July)

Changing weather, chaos in the midfield, strategy gambles and a big first for Nico Hülkenberg: the 2025 British Grand Prix in a nutshell. Ferrari showed strong pace in practice, topping two of the three sessions, but qualifying didn't quite convert. Hamilton and Leclerc lined up fifth and sixth, just behind the McLarens and Verstappen. Then came Sunday, where a damp start led to formation-lap pit stops as both Ferraris gambled early on slicks. It didn’t pay off. Leclerc and Hamilton dropped back in the shuffle, caught out by worsening rain and multiple VSCs. The team reacted quickly, but Safety Cars and traffic boxed them in during critical phases. As the track dried again late on, Hamilton clawed his way through the midfield, overtaking Gasly, then Stroll, to finish P4.

Leclerc’s race never quite recovered from the early tyre call, and he finished outside the top 10. But the story of the day belonged to Nico Hülkenberg. The Sauber veteran managed the mixed conditions perfectly, pitting at the right time, keeping it clean, and holding off pressure to take P3: his first podium in 239 starts. Up front, Norris soaked up the atmosphere and the pressure to become the first 25th Brit to win at Silverstone, ahead of a frustrated Piastri who served a 10-second penalty. For Ferrari, it was a weekend that started with promise but slipped away in the weather.

2025 Formula 1 Driver Standings

After the 2025 British Grand Prix, these are the Formula 1 Driver Standings.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	234
2	Lando Norris	McLaren	226
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	165
4	George Russel	Mercedes	147
5	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Ferrari	119
6	Lewis Hamilton	Scuderia Ferrari	103
7	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	63
8	Alexander Albon	Williams	46
9	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	37
10	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	23
11	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	21
12	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	20
13	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	19
14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	16
15	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Williams	13
16	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	12
17	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing	10
18	Oliver Bearman	Haas	6
19	Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber	4
20	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	0
21	Jack Doohan	Alpine	0

2025 Formula 1 Constructor Standings

After the 2025 British Grand Prix, these are the Formula 1 Constructor Standings.

Pos.	Team	Points
1	McLaren	460
2	Scuderia Ferrari	222
3	Mercedes	210
4	Red Bull Racing	172
5	Williams	59
6	Sauber	41
7	Racing Bulls	36
8	Aston Martin	36
9	Haas	29
10	Alpine	19

 

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Note: All images in this article are sourced from Ferrari and are intended solely for editorial use.