Ferrari have recorded the first laps in their 2025 F1 car ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both taking the SF-25 out at Fiorano.
Formula 1 is only staging one official winter test ahead of the five red lights going out at the Australian Grand Prix to start the 2025 season on March 16. All 10 teams will gather across February 26, 27 and 28 at the home of the Bahrain Grand Prix to test their latest machines.
So, some squads have opted to stage shakedowns with Ferrari holding a filming day at their iconic Fiorano test track this Wednesday. Leclerc put the first laps on the board in the SF-25 during the morning, before Hamilton got a go in the afternoon after joining from Mercedes.
Ferrari cause ‘controversy’ moving to pull-rod suspension with Lewis Hamilton’s new car
Hamilton was 0.8 seconds slower than Leclerc in the SF-25 around Fiorano, as both enjoyed clean runs in Ferrari’s 2025 car. The 40-year-old is still getting to grips with the Scuderia and with a Ferrari power unit having used Mercedes engines exclusively since his debut in 2007.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari
Both drivers lapping Fiorano without a problem also gave the in excess of 5,000 fans looking on the chance to see the changes that the Scuderia have made compared to the SF-24. And F1-Insider reports that Ferrari’s new front suspension is also causing ‘particular controversy’.
Ferrari have completely revised their front suspension with the SF-25 by moving from push to pull-rod. While the two methods bring largely the same mechanical benefits, the pull-rod set-up makes it easier to control a car’s ride height plus the responsiveness of the front end.
Pull-rod front suspension gives Ferrari the scope to upgrade the SF-25
Chassis technical director Loic Serra, who followed Hamilton from Mercedes to Ferrari, even thinks moving to pull-rod front suspension will let the Scuderia keep improving the SF-25. It was a necessary change as Ferrari reached the aerodynamic limits with the push-rod set-up.
“We reached a limit with the old concept,” Serra noted after Ferrari’s shakedown at Fiorano, F1-Insider’s report adds. “The new solutions give us more scope for future developments.”
Ferrari moving from push to pull-rod suspension is not the only change that Serra has made since switching from Mercedes to Maranello in October. Serra quickly intervened to change how Ferrari’s 2025 car interacts with the Pirelli tyres after replacing Enrico Cardile in charge.
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