Nico Rosberg— Former Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg has publicly backed Lewis Hamilton’s blunt criticism of Ferrari’s SF25, describing the car as “not driveable” after observing it firsthand during Friday’s practice sessions at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton, who joined Ferrari in a high-profile move for the 2024 season, expressed visible frustration during team radio communications, calling the car difficult to handle after finishing 11th in the second free practice.
His lap time was nearly eight-tenths off the pace set by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Speaking post-session, the seven-time world champion didn’t hold back.
“It was not a good day,” Hamilton told reporters. “It wasn’t fun out there. We had some problems, and we were losing downforce in P2. Hopefully, we can fix it for tomorrow. You just have to keep pushing, no matter what.”
While such complaints are not uncommon in F1, Rosberg’s live assessment from trackside added weight to Hamilton’s remarks. The 2016 world champion, now a Sky Sports F1 pundit, said he watched both Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc closely and noticed clear signs of instability in the Ferrari car.
“I was out there trackside watching Lewis and Charles, and I can confirm that the Ferrari is not driveable,” Rosberg told Sky Sports. “It had more understeer than the others and more snap oversteer. There was just more of everything — and not in a good way.”
Despite these handling issues, Rosberg noted that Ferrari’s raw pace still shows promise, especially over longer runs. However, one-lap performance and tire consistency remain question marks heading into the race weekend.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur downplayed the drama but admitted the team has been struggling to find balance. “The comments [from Hamilton] were a bit extreme, but he did a strong last stint on the softs,” Vasseur said. “The car is not perfect, but that’s not unique to us. We’ve been working to get the new front wing dialed in and to improve tire management.”
Hamilton’s frustrations continued into Saturday, finishing ninth in final practice and over a second behind Piastri. Meanwhile, Leclerc showed slightly better form, securing the third-best time of the session.
As the race weekend continues in Barcelona, all eyes remain on whether Ferrari can make overnight improvements and deliver a competitive package on Sunday. One thing is clear — when both Hamilton and Rosberg agree a car is hard to drive, the concerns are serious.