Hamilton states that the two Ferraris are not performing equally.

      "I'm losing a bit more than a tenth per lap because of this issue."

      Lewis Hamilton believes his car has a flaw that is not found in the sister Ferrari driven by Charles Leclerc. It is widely known that both Ferrari drivers are eager to implement a floor upgrade as soon as possible to address a problem with the current configuration of the 2025 vehicle. "The floor is ready for Bahrain," La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, "but (Frederic) Vasseur and (Loic) Serra prefer to wait." They are reportedly discussing behind the scenes that the primary objective should be to fully comprehend the current specification. "The decision will be made by Thursday," stated technical editor Paolo Filisetti.

      However, Hamilton indicates that his speed deficit compared to Leclerc is a separate issue. "I’m losing a little over a tenth per lap with this problem," remarked the seven-time world champion. "In the first three races, there has been a slight deficit between both sides of the garage regarding one element of the car," Hamilton continued. "It’s good to know at least, even if the team doesn’t understand why it’s happening. When a new component comes in, hopefully this will resolve, and the performance will be consistent across both cars," the 40-year-old added.

      Former F1 driver Christijan Albers commented that the performance gap between Hamilton and Leclerc has been surprising so far. "Hamilton had a challenging race," he told De Telegraaf after the Japanese GP. "I was expecting much more from him." Team principal Vasseur believes that the difference between Hamilton and Leclerc is primarily related to setup. "The balance is therefore connected to their (setup) choices," he explained. "We are still learning about the new car and trying different strategies to suit the drivers. I believe the situation will change in Bahrain since we spent three days there last month."

      However, the Italian media is already expressing concerns about the potential for the 2025 world championship. "Barcelona is the pivotal weekend," stated La Repubblica newspaper. "Either we contend for the win there, or we focus on developing the car for 2026."