Ferrari has been toiling away in its Maranello simulator to address a glitch that reportedly threw off its setup baseline in Melbourne, according to Italy's La Repubblica.
The pre-season buzz of a title tilt for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc fizzled at the 2025 season opener in Australia last weekend.
"We made a mistake with the setup," team principal Frederic Vasseur admitted.
Ahead of this weekend's Chinese GP, sources say Ferrari's simulator spat out flawed figures before Melbourne, resulting in incorrect ride height settings and an ill-suited rear wing choice.
The trouble might run deeper still.
"I spoke to Fred Vasseur," former Haas boss Gunther Steiner told f1-insider.com. "He was a bit disappointed with the development over the winter. He also thought they were closer."
Ex-F1 driver Ralf Schumacher fears that a third straight year without a championship-contending car could jeopardise Vasseur's role.
"I strongly assume - if they don't move in the direction of the world championship and aren't fighting for many victories – that Ferrari will turn over every single stone," he told Sky Deutschland.
"That would be a great shame, as I believe Fred Vasseur is the right person at the right place."
Adding to the mix is 40-year-old Hamilton's struggle to live up to the hype of his Mercedes switch. "The honeymoon is over," Steiner said post-Melbourne. "Now he has to perform."
The seven-time world champion conceded he's still adapting to a markedly different car, though radio exchanges in Melbourne hinted at strain with his seasoned race engineer, Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton told reporters Adami "did his best" in Australia.
"Generally, I'm not one that likes a lot of information in the race, unless I need it - I'll ask for it," he said. "But he did his best and we'll move forwards."
Schumacher cautioned that even Hamilton's seat isn't assured.
"At Ferrari, no one is safe," he said, "and that also applies to the drivers."
