Nico Rosberg’s alarming Ferrari verdict after Spain F1 practice: “So much of a handful”

Nico Rosberg delivered a concerning assessment of Ferrari’s on-track performance following F1 practice at the Spanish Grand Prix, describing Lewis Hamilton’s car as a “handful”.

It was a tough day for Ferrari at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in practice.

Charles Leclerc was the highest-placed Ferrari driver in FP2, setting the fifth-fastest time of the session.

However, Leclerc was 0.5s off Oscar Piastri’s top time.

Hamilton was a couple of tenths slower than his teammate, ending up 11th in the final classification.

Ferrari hoped that the flexi wing clampdown would result in an upturn in performance, potentially impacting their rivals.

However, it seems they’re back to where they were pre-Monaco in terms of the pecking order, trailing the top three teams.

Rosberg, who was trackside for Sky Sports F1 in FP2, noted how difficult the Ferrari looked to drive in the hands of both Hamilton and Leclerc.

“All in all, it’s difficult. Difficult from his own performance and difficult even more so from the car’s performance because the car is just nowhere near where they were hoping to be,” Rosberg explained.

“It’s really quite a difficult car. Looking at Imola, the last normal track, they weren’t even able to get in the top 10. Out there today, it looks so much of a handful to get that car to go around those corners.

“Snapping so much, understeer, there was everything there. So I think it’s been a difficult start to the season for Lewis.”

Rosberg assesses Hamilton’s Ferrari form

While Ferrari’s form has been underwhelming in F1 2025, Hamilton has struggled to outperform Leclerc.

Other than during the sprint part of the China weekend, Leclerc has kept Hamilton at arm’s length.

Rosberg sees Hamilton’s performances as a “continuation of his form from last year.”

“It’s also been a continuation of his form from last year,” he added. “Last year was the first year ever in his career that we’ve seen a dip in form across a whole season with his teammate beating him, George Russell.

“It’s gone into this year with Charles Leclerc taking the position as George Russell had last year. It’s not such a comfortable position to be in for him this year.”