In the high-octane world of Formula 1, where victory is measured in milliseconds and legacies are forged in the fires of competition, one name has always stood apart: Ferrari. The prancing horse, the scarlet red, the Tifosi—these are symbols of a dynasty that has dominated the sport for decades. With 16 constructor’s titles and 15 driver’s championships, Ferrari is, by the numbers, the most successful team in F1 history. Their presence is so vital to the sport that they are paid a premium just for showing up. But as the years turn to dust, this legendary team finds itself in a prolonged and agonizing trophy drought, with its last championship victory dating back to 2008. The 2025 season is shaping up to be one of their worst yet, leaving fans and pundits alike asking the same haunting question: What has gone so wrong with Ferrari?

The answer is not a simple one. It’s a complex tapestry of on-track errors, strategic blunders, and a deeply ingrained institutional problem that seems to cripple them time and time again. While it’s easy to point to pit wall mistakes, failed development strategies, or drivers struggling to adapt, the truth runs much deeper. It’s a story of a team that has become a master of finding loopholes in the regulations, only to be left floundering when those loopholes are inevitably closed. This isn’t just a recent phenomenon; it’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted the team for years, and it reveals a dark and unsettling pattern.

The most recent evidence of this troubling trend can be seen in their handling of the 2025 season. After a technical directive was introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix to limit wing flexing, Ferrari seemed to abandon any significant development on their front wing. While their rivals, Mercedes and Red Bull, were hard at work finding innovative ways to regain performance within the new constraints, Ferrari appeared to have given up. This puzzling decision could be dismissed as a strategic shift to focus on the 2026 season, but the team continued to bring other upgrades, none of which delivered any measurable gains. A new rear suspension introduced at the Belgian Grand Prix, which was supposed to improve driver confidence and braking stability, turned out to be a dud. The data showed no improvement, while their competitors continued to pull away.

This inability to adapt is not an isolated incident. Go back to the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc was battling for a podium when he was struck by a bizarre technical issue. His front brakes were overheating to such an extent that the steering wheel was violently pulling to one side every time he braked. At the time, it was a mysterious failure that was quickly forgotten. But later that summer, the FIA issued a clarification banning any braking system that caused asymmetrical braking. The paddock rumor mill suggested it was aimed at Red Bull, but the real target may have been Ferrari. Since that directive, Ferrari’s braking system has been a shambles, with both Leclerc and his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, complaining about the car’s instability.

The pattern continues as we look further back. In 2022, Ferrari started the season with a car, the F1-75, that was a genuine championship contender. It was fast, driveable, and had a wide setup window that allowed Leclerc to take an early lead in the driver’s championship. But as the season progressed, the issue of “porpoising”—the violent bouncing of the cars at high speeds—became a serious safety concern. The FIA stepped in with a technical directive to address the issue, which included closing a grey area in the rules concerning the flexibility of the floor plank. The moment that directive came into effect, Ferrari’s performance fell off a cliff. The team that had been winning races was suddenly struggling to keep up, and Red Bull went on to win every remaining race of the season, except for one.

Perhaps the most damning evidence of this self-destructive cycle comes from the infamous “engine-gate” scandal of 2019. Ferrari’s car that year was a rocket ship in a straight line, but the team was dogged by accusations that they were illegally circumventing the fuel flow regulations. The FIA launched an investigation, and just before the start of the 2020 season, they announced a secret settlement with Ferrari. The details were never made public, but the consequences were clear. The 2020 Ferrari was shockingly slow, and it was later revealed that their engine had lost a staggering 65 horsepower over the winter. The team slumped to its worst finish in the constructors’ championship since 1980, a humiliating fall from grace that they are still struggling to recover from.

This recurring theme of exploiting grey areas and then failing to adapt when the rules are clarified is at the heart of Ferrari’s problems. While all F1 teams operate in these grey areas—it’s part of the game—the truly great teams know how to innovate and recover when a loophole is closed. Ferrari, on the other hand, seems to be perpetually caught flat-footed, unable to find a new path forward once their old one has been blocked. This has created a culture of short-term thinking, where the focus is on finding the next trick rather than building a solid and sustainable foundation for success.

The upcoming regulation changes in 2026 present both an opportunity and a threat for Ferrari. A new rulebook means a clean slate, a chance to start fresh and get things right. But it also means a whole new set of grey areas to be exploited, and with it, the risk of repeating the same mistakes. If Ferrari once again leans too heavily on a loophole that gets closed, they could find themselves so far behind that it will take years to catch up.

For a driver like Charles Leclerc, who has committed his future to the team, this is a deeply worrying prospect. He has been with Ferrari through all of these failures, and his frustration is becoming increasingly palpable. He knows better than anyone what happens when the team gets set back, and you can sense that his trust is beginning to wane. He is too talented a driver to be stuck in a team that seems doomed to repeat its own history, forever pushing a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down again.

The dark truth about Ferrari is that their biggest enemy is not on the track; it’s within the walls of Maranello. It’s a cultural problem, a failure of leadership, and an inability to learn from their mistakes. Until they address these fundamental issues, the prancing horse will remain a shadow of its former self, a fallen giant in a sport that has moved on without them. The Tifosi deserve better, the drivers deserve better, and the legacy of Enzo Ferrari deserves better. The question is, can they finally break the cycle, or are they destined to remain trapped in this endless loop of their own making? The clock is ticking, and the whole world is watching.