There’s a recurring query among the many followers of the Prancing Horse: why did Ferrari fully overhaul the structure of the automobile after ending second within the 2024 Method 1 Constructors’ Championship, simply 14 factors behind McLaren? Within the final 12 months of the bottom impact laws, the Italian aspect determined to revamp its automobile, introducing 99% new elements based on Ferrari staff principal Frederic Vasseur himself.
This subject has been broadly debated not solely on social media but additionally amongst numerous insiders: why wasn’t the SF-24 growth continued, particularly contemplating it completed final season near the McLaren automobiles, whereas the SF-25, after three races, has plummeted to fourth place among the many high groups, with a drastic drop in competitiveness?
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have already amassed a 76-point deficit to McLaren within the Constructors’ Championship forward of the Bahrain Grand Prix, having scored solely 35 factors thus far in comparison with 111 from the Woking staff, whereas Mercedes has earned 75 factors and Pink Bull, which runs just one automobile within the high 10, Max Verstappen‘s, has amassed 61 factors. There couldn’t have been a worse begin for the Maranello staff, however the Italian aspect by no means thought-about deploying a “carry over” automobile.
The arrival of Lewis Hamilton was a further push to purpose for a leap in high quality, with the idea that Ferrari might purpose for 2 World Championships earlier than the drastic regulatory adjustments anticipated for the 2026 Method 1 season.
So why was the 2025 automobile redesigned? The reply may be very easy: the SF-24 had only a few prospects for aerodynamic enchancment and its growth would have been restricted in comparison with the evolution that rivals had deliberate.
The selection, subsequently, was proper, and within the 2025 funds cap, a big quantity was allotted to approve a brand new chassis with the cockpit moved additional again and a shorter, sleeker gearbox.
The thought was to shift the burden distribution barely towards the rear in an effort to supply extra freedom to the aerodynamic staff led by Diego Tondi. The SF-25 single-seater was designed to be beneath the burden restrict of 800 kilograms to have the choice of reaching the suitable steadiness by introducing ballast within the entrance wing, permitting the 0.5% weight distribution tolerance permitted by the laws to be adjusted as desired.
Moreover, the aerodynamic division had requested the chassis chief, Fabio Montecchi, to change from the standard push rod entrance suspension to a pull rod system, already in use by Pink Bull and McLaren. The wants, subsequently, weren’t mechanical however stemmed from the idea that wind tunnel testing might yield extra downforce for efficiency.
And evidently, the information rising from the winter simulations needed to be constructive in comparison with the SF-24, fueling the championship hopes that had been repeatedly raised by the drivers and staff leaders.
In China and Japan, we noticed F1 automobiles that had been about 1.5 seconds quicker than the earlier 12 months, which is a large enchancment contemplating that, often, by the top of a regulatory cycle, just a few tenths are discovered as a result of groups are already scraping the barrel with mature automobiles. Nevertheless, the home of playing cards started to break down throughout the preseason testing session on the Bahrain Worldwide Circuit, when it turned clear that McLaren was extra aggressive and Ferrari was struggling.
Initially, consideration was centered on the pull rod suspension: with the brand new setup, there may need been a necessity to regulate the setup, as very completely different stiffness changes are required. However the “subject” with the SF-25 automobile was not discovered there. Observers then shifted their focus to the rear finish, pointing to the transmission: the miniaturized carbon gearbox might undergo damaging torsions, stopping the rear from being sufficiently stiff to make the automobile responsive in path adjustments, leading to annoying understeer that was closely criticized by the drivers.
The Ferrari SF-25 automobile was designed to be centered on the entrance, as each Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton want, with nice nook entry, however in actuality, it has considerably improved in high-speed sections, because of good aerodynamic effectivity, whereas it has misplaced its traction and dealing with in low-speed corners.
So, what’s lacking for Ferrari? One would possibly say the aerodynamic downforce that presses the automobile onto the monitor floor and generates the vitality to switch to the tires. With out sufficient downforce, the staff is compelled to make use of minimal floor clearance, figuring out that the nearer the automobile is to the bottom, the extra the ground can create downforce. However the put on on the plank needs to be taken into consideration: the FIA permits consumption of 1 of the ten mm thickness of the plank, after which disqualifications are triggered, as occurred to Lewis Hamilton in China.
Past the embarrassment {that a} prestigious staff like Ferrari shouldn’t enable, it’s evident that discovering instant countermeasures is just not simple. The primary improve bundle for the SF-25 was scheduled for Imola, on the debut of the European season, however after the Sakhir checks, it’s doable that the event plans had been introduced ahead primarily based on what emerged from the wind tunnel work.
So, we are able to anticipate modifications to the ground in Bahrain, together with different particulars, however it’s arduous to assume the hole to the MCL39 and the improved Pink Bull could be closed in a single go, as a result of the 3-4 tenths hole is just not simple to scale back, as others received’t stand nonetheless both.
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