Lewis Hamilton handed rare glimmer of hope - unexpectedly from McLaren

McLaren believes Ferrari will be a serious threat for victories in the latter half of the 2025 Formula 1 season based on the form it has shown in recent races.

Ferrari is in the midst of a winless drought stretching back to the Mexican Grand Prix, but the team has made massive strides in recent races following a major floor upgrade in Austria.

Charles Leclerc has finished on the podium in two oout f the last four races, while he also performed strongly in Hungary from pole position before chassis issues sent him tumbling down to fourth place.

The Scuderia’s improved form has hence become a cause of concern for McLaren, which has enjoyed a dominant run so far in 2025 with 11 victories in 14 attempts.

McLaren back Ferrari to contend for F1 grand prix win

Team principal Andrea Stella believes Ferrari now has a real chance at winning races in the second half of the season, when F1 will visit certain tracks that have traditionally suited cars from the Italian marque.

“I’m not surprised [by Ferrari’s form in Hungary] because Ferrari have been competitive over the last few races,” Stella told reporters including Crash.net.

"They were competitive in [the] dry in Silverstone. They were competitive in Belgium. Somehow, this wasn’t expressed fully.

“I think we saw [in Hungary qualifying] that they were in condition to score the pole position, and today [in the race], it’s not like in the first stint we were holding back.

“We were trying to go as fast as possible, and Leclerc was managing the lead of the race with some degree of control. So, I’m not surprised.

“I think Ferrari is going to be a contender for victories for the remainder of the season.

“If anything, I was a little surprised by the evolution of the final part of the race. I’m not sure if there was any kind of problem on Leclerc’s car.

"But definitely, any time we were racing for the second part of the season, we would have to take into account that in qualifying and in the race, we would have to deal with Ferrari.”

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes driver George Russell remain the only drivers to beat McLaren in a year where the MCL39 has had a clear advantage over the rest of the field.

However, Red Bull has fallen further adrift of McLaren in recent races while Mercedes also slipped backwards after Canada before reverting to an older-spec car in Budapest.

Nevertheless, Stella expects both teams to pose a serious challenge to McLaren’s dominance after the summer break.

“We will have to deal with Mercedes and today Max was a bit out of contention but I'm sure Max will find a way to fight for victories,” he said.

“So, there’s nothing obvious in this business.

“This is exactly what we said yesterday in our briefing after qualifying, and this is what we will keep repeating ourselves in the second part of the season.”