Floundering in arguably its worst season in F1’s ground-effect era, former Benetton chairman Alessandro Benetton believes Ferrari’s biggest problem is that there is not “one” leader capable of inspiring the team to glory.
With six races remaining on the F1 2025 calendar, Ferrari is not only winless, but only one driver – Charles Leclerc – has even featured on the podium.
‘I don’t have one in mind for Ferrari…’
While rivals Red Bull and Mercedes have closed the gap to McLaren on the track, Ferrari’s progress has stalled with Lewis Hamilton lamenting a lack of upgrades as the team has turned its full focus to F1 2026 and the all-new cars.
It meant that while Red Bull claimed two wins on the trot in Monza and Baku, with George Russell winning the Singapore Grand Prix for Mercedes, Ferrari has yet to bag a single P1.
In fact, in the last two races, the team has yet to finish higher than P6 which has dropped the Italian stable to third in the Constructors’ Championship. And even that is now under threat from Red Bull, who’s just eight points down despite being a one-man team with Verstappen.
Ferrari head-to-head teammate battle
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
It had Sky Italia journalist Mara Sangiorgio declaring, “something is always missing. This is the story, with the shoulders down, of the Ferrari season, now stopped at only five podiums, the worst year of the technical cycle with ground-effect single-seaters. Among other things, all won by Charles Leclerc.
“The fault lies with a single-seater born without any strong points, which not even the care of a new suspension has brought back to the right path or up to fighting against rivals who in the meantime have even grown.”
But if you ask former Benetton chairman Benetton, the problem goes far beyond the car – it stems from Ferrari’s leadership, or lack thereof.
“It happens in companies that the desire to move forward stops and growth stops, but there must always be someone who can stand out and make a difference and inspire the team,” he told the Italian broadcaster.
“I think that during change, companies must identify leaders capable of making a difference.
“I don’t have one in mind for Ferrari, but they are important figures who must inspire the team.”
Ferrari is currently lead by team principal Fred Vasseur on the ground with John Elkann Ferrari’s chairman.
Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is not impressed by what he’s been seeing.
“Today, Ferrari lacks a leader,” he said at the premiere of Luca: Seeing Red.
“Today, there is no leadership, and above all, there is no soul. I don’t know Vasseur, and I’m not criticising him, but I see an isolated man. There have been too many changes, the team needs stability.
“Today, there is a lack of a leader, a strong and determined soul.”
He added: “Today I see a team that, despite all the previous announcements, has not won a single race.”
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