Ferrari Boss says F1 is Close to Becoming the “Qualifying World Championship"

The Japanese Grand Prix featured an uneventful race overall, with Lewis Hamilton being the only driver capable of overtaking among the top 10, which has sparked controversy.

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur, while surely pleased that Hamilton was able to earn additional points, is concerned that F1 could become the “qualifying world championship."

The field has converged in the final year of this regulation cycle, as most teams and cars are composed of parts that have been considered the best by the majority of the teams.

More News: Winners and Losers from Revealing Japanese Grand Prix

There are specific choices that teams can make to create a difference, but four years into the regulation cycle have yielded only minimal gains.

“For sure, qualifying is always crucial in the performance,” Vassuer said after the race.

“The more you are close, the more the gap is small between cars, it's even more true because you are in the group of cars.

Yesterday’s grid pics did not disappoint 👌 pic.twitter.com/ywhkCZHYy6
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 7, 2025

“It's not that you are just one fighting with the guy in front of you. Yes, it will probably be a quali championship.”

This generation's cars are massive, especially compared to the size of the track, which makes it tricky for cars to be side by side in corners.

Also, the ground effect regulations mean that the cars are very dependent on aerodynamics for pace, which leads to them being compromised during non-ideal air conditions.

More News: Lando Norris says McLaren Are the Only Team with "Two Good Drivers"

The effect can lead to worse performance, additional tire wear, and long term engine wear as well.

In the 2025 season, all three pole sitters won their races, and during the sprint race in China, Hamilton secured pole position and turned it into a victory.

The Ferrari has not been the fastest car on the track, yet Hamilton was able to keep the cars behind him at bay because he could drive in nice, clean air.

Charles 🗣️ "The work we did on Friday in terms of set-up adjustment and the learnings we take into the next races have paid off. We made good progress, but we have to keep our heads down and keep working before we come to any conclusions."

Leaving Suzuka with 18 points 🇯🇵
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 6, 2025

The two McLaren cars behind could have caught up with him and likely overtaken him very easily, but the dirty airflow that his car had to deal with allowed Hamilton to win the race.

Furthermore, Lando Norris was further down the grid and struggled to gain positions easily during the sprint in China.

More News: Max Verstappen Relieved with Pole Position: "It Wasn't Easy"

In Japan, Charles Leclerc pushed the SF-25 up the grid during qualifying and held off two faster Mercedes cars, which, had overtaking been easier, would not have been possible.

While Vassuer's point is well taken, Ferrari has also been able to mask some of their early season struggles due to the increased difficulty in overtaking.

As the season progresses, Vasseur is focusing on enhancing the Ferrari, which currently lacks true pace.

“The result of today, we need to try to do a better job next week to improve the potential and also the extraction of the potential of the car,” he said.

“We have to improve everywhere. And at least we did a step forward compared to last week, at least on the operation [side] and we have to start from there."

“But it's not ideal as the start of the season, for sure, but it's still a long one to go - still 21 [races] to go.”

For more F1 news, head over to F1 on SI.