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Ferrari Blunder: Fans Outraged as Team Fails to Utilize Hamilton's Grid Penalty
6 Sep
Summary
- Ferrari opted not to use Lewis Hamilton's grid penalty to give Charles Leclerc a tow
- Leclerc qualified P4, missing out on front row by small margins
- Fans expressed frustration with Ferrari's "disasterclass" decision
On September 6, 2025, Ferrari faced the wrath of their fans after the team made a puzzling decision during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix. Despite Lewis Hamilton having a five-place grid penalty, Ferrari opted not to use the Briton to provide a tow for their driver Charles Leclerc on the final qualifying run.
This decision proved costly as Leclerc ended up qualifying in P4, missing out on the front row by just 0.025 seconds to Oscar Piastri and 0.1 seconds to Lando Norris. Fans were left enraged, taking to social media to express their frustration with Ferrari's "disasterclass" strategy.
Many argued that Ferrari had missed a golden opportunity to potentially put Leclerc on pole position in front of the Tifosi. Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer had even suggested during the qualifying session that Ferrari should utilize Hamilton's grid penalty to benefit Leclerc, but the team ultimately opted against it.
As a result, Max Verstappen secured his 45th career pole position, surprising most spectators. Ferrari will undoubtedly feel they let a chance slip away, especially with the McLarens also failing to claim the top spot at Monza.