Domenicali delivers blunt verdict on Ferrari after disappointing 2025

13:01, 15 Jan

byOlly Darcy

Former Ferrari team principal and current Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali warns the Scuderia "needs to have a plan" to steer clear of another disappointing season.

"I think it’s important to react, not to fade away, and for it to be normal to be fourth in the championship."

- Stefano Domenicali

The Italian team could only finish fourth in the Constructors' Championship at the end of the 2025 season with 398 points, finishing 254 points behind their 2024 tally and ending the campaign without a win for the first time since 2021.

Charles Leclerc finished P5 in the Drivers' Championship with 242 points, while Lewis Hamilton's debut season saw the seven-time World Champion finish down in P6 with 156 points and miss out on a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his 18-year career.

A vital season is approaching for every team on the grid as the regulation overhaul comes into effect in 2026, and Domenicali, who was Ferrari team principal from 2008 to 2014, has some advice for his former team.

Ferrari scored their lowest points tally since 2021 after a dismal 2025 season - Photo: Ferrari

Domenicali wants to see a 'strong Ferrari'

“I’m a positive guy. There’s no need to cry, there’s no need to always be negative. They need to have a plan,” the Italian said while speaking to Sky Sports News.

“I’m sure Fred [Vasseur], Lewis and Charles have a plan, and that’s what is important. I think it’s important to react, not to fade away, and for it to be normal to be fourth in the championship.

"We want to have a strong Ferrari. They deserve to be in a stronger position. They need to make sure that there is the right energy and the right thing to follow up, because in 2026, everyone is talking, but no one knows where they are.

Wide-open season expected in 2026

January 23 will be the date that Ferrari fans around the world will have in their diaries, with the Scuderia launching their 2026 challenger on that date.

With the 2026 season bringing in several huge regulation changes, including the use of active aerodynamics and more electrical power, CEO Domenicali knows that it will be a season full of twists and turns.

"If you saw what happened last year, everyone already knew what was happening in the future. Stay tuned because every race there will be an evolution."

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