Lewis Hamilton & Charles Leclerc Break Silence After Disastrous Race—‘We Have to Fix This Now’

The 2025 Formula 1 season has been a rollercoaster for Ferrari, but the Miami Grand Prix on May 4, 2025, marked a low point that left fans stunned and the team scrambling for answers. Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time F1 World Champion, and teammate Charles Leclerc finished a disappointing seventh and eighth, far from the podium they’d hoped to challenge for. Their frustration boiled over in post-race comments, with both drivers demanding urgent changes to address Ferrari’s ongoing struggles. “We have to fix this now,” Hamilton declared, echoing Leclerc’s call for internal talks to overhaul strategy and performance. This 1500-word article dives into the disastrous race, the drivers’ candid reactions, and the mysterious issues plaguing Ferrari’s SF-25 car, drawing on recent events and sentiment from social media. Buckle up for a deep dive into a Formula 1 saga that’s as gripping as it is urgent.

The Miami Grand Prix Meltdown: What Went Wrong for Ferrari

The Miami Grand Prix, the sixth round of the 2025 F1 season, was poised to be a turning point for Ferrari. After Leclerc’s podium in Saudi Arabia and Hamilton’s sprint win in China, hopes were high that the SF-25 could close the gap to McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes. But the weekend unraveled spectacularly. Leclerc crashed on a reconnaissance lap before the sprint race, blaming aquaplaning on intermediate tires—a decision he later called “unwise.” Hamilton, narrowly avoiding a similar fate, described the moment as “heart-stopping.” The sprint saw Hamilton salvage third with a bold tire strategy, but Leclerc’s crash left him scoreless, setting a grim tone.

In the main race, Ferrari’s woes deepened. Leclerc qualified sixth and Hamilton 12th, exposing the SF-25’s persistent qualifying struggles. During the race, Ferrari’s strategy faltered with delayed driver swaps. Hamilton, on fresher tires, was stuck behind Leclerc for too long, losing critical time. When the team finally ordered a swap, they reversed it later, frustrating both drivers. Hamilton’s radio jab—“Have a tea break!”—captured his exasperation, while Leclerc’s clipped responses hinted at his own discontent. They crossed the line in seventh and eighth, over a minute behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who won. Posts on X reflected fan outrage, with one user noting, “Ferrari’s strategy was a mess—Hamilton and Leclerc deserve better.”

The Miami Grand Prix exposed Ferrari’s Achilles’ heel: a car that’s hard to drive, coupled with questionable strategy. Leclerc told reporters, “It’s obvious today was not how we want to manage a race.” Hamilton, more blunt, said, “The car just didn’t want to go quicker.” The result was a stark contrast to Leclerc’s Jeddah podium, leaving Ferrari 76 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ standings. The question now is, what’s broken, and can it be fixed before the next race at Imola?

Hamilton and Leclerc’s Candid Frustrations: A Call for Change

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are no strangers to pressure, but their post-Miami comments revealed a shared urgency to turn Ferrari’s season around. Hamilton, in his first year with the Scuderia after 12 seasons at Mercedes, has struggled to gel with the SF-25. Since his China sprint win, he’s been outpaced by Leclerc in every grand prix, trailing 4-1 in qualifying head-to-heads with an average gap of 0.327 seconds. In Miami, his 12th-place qualifying and seventh-place finish—three seconds behind Leclerc—prompted a grim assessment. “There’s work to do to pick up speed,” he told Formula1.com, adding, “I truly believe we can get back in the fight, but it can’t come quick enough.”

Leclerc, Ferrari’s benchmark driver, was equally vocal. After his sprint crash and P6 qualifying, he called the team’s pace “annoying” and admitted, “We need to do better as a team.” His third place in Jeddah showed the SF-25’s potential, but Miami’s “lack of grip” and “massive understeer” left him “really not happy.” Both drivers requested internal debriefs to address strategy missteps, with Leclerc emphasizing, “There’s no bad feelings with Lewis, but we must make better decisions.” Their aligned frustration signals a unified front, but the clock is ticking. X posts captured the sentiment, with one fan writing, “Leclerc and Hamilton calling out Ferrari’s mess is a wake-up call—fix it or lose them both.”

The root of their discontent lies in Ferrari’s technical and strategic shortcomings. The SF-25’s post-China reconfiguration, triggered by disqualifications for excessive plank wear (Hamilton) and an underweight car (Leclerc), forced an “extreme” setup that suits Leclerc but leaves Hamilton struggling. Hamilton’s radio in Jeddah, where he finished 31 seconds behind Leclerc, was filled with pleas for setup advice, highlighting a car “deficit” he can’t pinpoint. Leclerc’s setup, balancing oversteer and understeer, extracts more pace but makes the car “really hard to drive.” With upgrades planned for Imola, both drivers are banking on a fix—but is it too late to salvage 2025?

The Ferrari Enigma: Can the SF-25 Be Saved?

Ferrari’s 2025 season began with hype around Hamilton’s arrival and Leclerc’s experience, but the SF-25’s flaws have dashed hopes of a constructors’ title. The China disqualifications—Hamilton’s plank 0.5mm too thin, Leclerc’s car 1kg underweight—forced a setup overhaul to avoid repeats. This “extreme” configuration, described by Leclerc as a workaround for the car’s “fundamental imbalance,” has boosted his results but alienated Hamilton, who laments a “painful” season with “no fix” in sight.

The SF-25’s issues stem from its rear suspension and gearbox architecture, which limit aerodynamic balance. Hamilton, known for preferring low, stiff setups at Mercedes, can’t replicate that due to plank wear concerns, costing him lap time. In Miami, Leclerc’s crash and Hamilton’s qualifying struggles underscored the car’s sensitivity to track conditions and tire management. Team principal Fred Vasseur downplayed the strategy drama, insisting the real issue is “why we finished one minute behind McLaren.” Upgrades, possibly debuting at Imola, aim to address these woes, but Vasseur admits “it’s difficult to put everything together” with sensitive tires and tight margins.

The Miami Grand Prix also highlighted Ferrari’s strategic missteps. The delayed swap cost Hamilton a shot at overtaking cars ahead, while Leclerc’s conservative start squandered his tire advantage. Fans on X slammed the team, with one post stating, “Ferrari’s strategy is killing Hamilton and Leclerc’s chances—someone needs to step up.” Leclerc’s podium in Jeddah showed what’s possible with optimal strategy, but Ferrari’s inability to replicate that consistency is a growing concern. With 20 races left, the team faces a make-or-break moment to unlock the SF-25’s potential and keep Hamilton and Leclerc from losing faith.

Ferrari’s Crossroads in 2025

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s blunt words after the Miami Grand Prix—‘We have to fix this now’—lay bare Ferrari’s turbulent 2025 season. The disastrous race, marred by a crash, poor qualifying, and strategic blunders, exposed the SF-25’s technical flaws and the team’s operational struggles. Hamilton’s battle to adapt and Leclerc’s frustration with inconsistent pace underscore the urgency for change. As Ferrari prepares for Imola with promised upgrades, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Can the Scuderia solve the SF-25’s mysteries and restore faith in its star drivers? Or will 2025 be remembered as a missed opportunity? Social media buzz, from X posts to fan forums, reflects the global demand for answers. Keep your eyes on Formula 1—Ferrari’s next move could redefine their season.