"Punch in the stomach": Ferrari founder's son 'hurting' at F1 team's downfall after Qatar GP

Enzo Ferrari's son, Piero, who carries his family's legacy at the legendary Italian automotive organization as vice-chairman and a part-owner, is devastated by the F1 team's downfall in 2025. The Italian billionaire was downbeat after the Qatar Grand Prix, where the Scuderia was shockingly uncompetitive.

Lewis Hamilton got eliminated in Q1 in the Sprint Qualifying and the feature Qualifying as well, becoming only the third Ferrari driver in history to suffer consecutive Q1 knockouts. Though Charles Leclerc fared better in both qualifying sessions, he found himself in a "rare" state of mind, not feeling "optimistic" for the race.

The races didn't have much better results in store for the two drivers. Hamilton left Qatar without scoring a single point across the weekend, while Leclerc scored only four. The drivers struggled with rear instability on their SF25s, and they seemed like the sixth-fastest team out of 10.

Piero Ferrari, who was in the Ferrari garage for the race, was speechless after the results.

"After a race like that, there's not much to say," he told Rmcmotori. "It's a blow and a punch in the stomach. It hurts to see a Ferrari like this. I console myself by thinking that there's still one more race, the last of the season, and then we'll put this championship away."

"In the history of Ferrari, we've had ups and downs, it happens in racing. It's no consolation, but we've had worse moments and we've always managed to get back on track. I remember 1973 and the '75 World Championships after a growing '74 season , the crisis of the '90s and the triumphs that followed."

Charles Leclerc called the Qatar GP a "disaster." When a reporter presented Lewis Hamilton with his teammate's label for the team's performance, he laughed and asked if there was a worse word that could describe the situation.

Piero Ferrari makes a promise to the Scuderia's F1 fans

The SF25 of Lewis Hamilton at the F1 Qatar Grand Prix - Source: Getty

For the Scuderia, the Qatar GP disaster was a culmination of months of non-action on its 2025 car. The Frederic Vasseur-led team took the bold decision to stop upgrading this year's car very early in the season to allocate more resources to its 2026 challenger.

The team that should've secured second in the constructors' championship lost the place to Mercedes two race weekends ago. Moreover, even the handicapped Red Bull, which has 426 points, 396 of which are just Max Verstappen's contribution, got ahead of Ferrari.

While Piero Ferrari was downbeat about the team's slump, he promised a strong comeback.

"I'm confident in the good things we have at home, and as a fan, I hope we can put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Ferrari will win again. We're definitely not giving up. I know the excellent people we have at our disposal," the Italian said.

Despite the slump, Lewis Hamilton affirmed that he is looking forward to 2026 and the new generations of F1 cars. The team is looking to end the 2025 season on a high, with Charles Leclerc set to make his 150th F1 career start at the Abu Dhabi GP.