Ferrari is gearing up to stabilise its faltering 2025 Formula 1 season with a significant update at next weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
Well-placed Italian media outlets report that the Maranello squad is poised to roll out a redesigned floor for its car, following a rollercoaster weekend in China.
Lewis Hamilton dominated the Shanghai sprint from pole, but the team's speed faded ahead of the grand prix.
Controversy flared when Formula One Management's broadcast focused on an instruction for the seven-time world champion to yield to Charles Leclerc, prompting team principal Frederic Vasseur to brand it a "joke."
He accused FOM of skipping the part where Hamilton himself proposed the switch.
"We had absolutely no intention of spreading false information," an FOM spokesperson countered, stressing that leaving out the full exchange "was not done intentionally."
Post-race, both Ferrari cars were disqualified—Leclerc's for being underweight, and Hamilton's for excessive plank wear.
Italian journalists, though, are more alarmed by the car's lack of pace. "SOS Ferrari," declared La Repubblica's headline.
"There's no time to lose," wrote Alessandra Retico. "The new floor may already be in Japan."
Jacopo D'Orsi of La Stampa added: "It seems that Maranello has chosen the path to recovery, thanks to a new floor configuration that could be introduced as early as the next race in Suzuka."
Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko isn't ready to dismiss Ferrari's prospects. "They'll sort things out," he told Osterreich newspaper.
"I'm not writing off Ferrari just yet."
Paolo Filisetti, technical expert at La Gazzetta dello Sport, shares that view: "The project is still immature, but there is potential. Developments are planned for the floor to better manage the ride heights."
Beyond the team order dispute, Hamilton and Leclerc collided early in the race. Team boss Vasseur, however, remains unfazed.
"The collaboration between the two guys was and is great, and I can't complain for a second about that," said the Frenchman.
