The development cycle for this generation of Formula 1 cars is set to end very soon, but Ferrari will hope that they can finally end their long wait for a Constructors’ Championship in 2025.
The championship battle went down to the wire last year, with Ferrari losing out to McLaren at the final race in Abu Dhabi.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz arguably had the best seasons of their Formula 1 careers to date, but a crucial error made during an update delivered to the Spanish Grand Prix was the turning point for the Scuderia.
While team principal Frederic Vasseur quickly led the team in the right direction once again, the dropoff they experienced halfway through the season likely cost them the points required to defeat McLaren.
Ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s arrival for the 2025 season, Vasseur and the team at Ferrari’s factory at Maranello will be keen not to make the same mistake again.
A report from FormulaPassion has provided more details about Ferrari’s plans for their 75th anniversary F1 car.
Ferrari may have logistical problems to deal with before their 2025 car makes its debut during pre-season testing.
But as long as those issues don’t translate into a lack of performance on the track, then Leclerc and Hamilton will fancy their chances of winning a historic championship for the Scuderia.
Ferrari want to fix ‘chronic shortcoming’ with their cornering issues in 2025
The report from FormulaPassion explains that for the last six seasons, Ferrari’s cars have often struggled through medium and high-speed corners.
This has been described as a ‘chronic shortcoming’ for the team and something that Vasseur will be desperate for the team to fix in 2025.
Ferrari’s update installed at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix is said to have contributed to this issue and the tracks that followed – such as the Circuit de Catalunya, the Hungaroring and Zandvoort – all highlighted this issue.
Last season, Ferrari focused on improving the car’s balance, rather than achieving maximum downforce, something the likes of Aston Martin didn’t understand until too late in the season.
It meant marginally sacrificing one-lap qualifying pace but as Leclerc’s win in Monza proved, it made the car much easier to drive over a race distance.
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That may benefit Hamilton, who has proven to be much stronger on Sundays than Saturdays over the past 12 months.
Every team has realised how important it is to widen the operating window so that the Pirelli tyres perform at their best, as the drop-off can be significant.
Ferrari aims to ‘develop greater stability’ through the middle of corners and want to do this by improving the airflow under the floor and along the sides of the car.
It’s been described as a ‘turning point’ for Ferrari if they can solve this issue and could give them the advantage they need to leapfrog McLaren this year.
Lewis Hamilton’s complaints about corner speed from Mercedes can’t continue at Ferrari
It’s no secret that Mercedes have never fully got to grips with the ground effect era in Formula 1.
Their performance varied wildly from race to race, occasionally being the fastest team in the paddock, while at other times being miles off the pace.
Hamilton had issues with Mercedes’ cornering speed last year, saying after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, via RaceFans: “The car is relatively good in the low-speed and not so bad in the medium.
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“But in the high-speed [corners] we are miles off.
“It was like I was in a different category when I was going through the high-speed between the other people, the other guys around me.”
Ferrari will recognise how close they are to nailing this set of regulations but know that one misstep could significantly harm their chances.
Team principal Andrea Stella delayed installing updates to McLaren’s 2024 car because he was so worried about their car’s operating window being affected.
Vasseur will be wary of being left in a similar situation and all eyes will be on how well the car performs in Bahrain next month.
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