Emotions were high when the chequered flag flew at the season finale in Abu Dhabi in both Ferrari and Mercedes’ garages.
Lewis Hamilton had just crossed the line to secure an impressive fourth-place finish on his final outing in a Mercedes Formula 1 car.
Martin Brundle predicted Hamilton’s final lap overtake on George Russell to end his three-year partnership with the Brit as the team’s highest points scorer.
Ferrari had a brilliant final outing in 2024, with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing on the podium.
Despite Oscar Piastri’s opening lap spin, Lando Norris’ well-deserved victory earned McLaren the Constructors’ Championship, denying Ferrari their first title in 16 years.
However, Hamilton would have been very encouraged by his new team’s performance over the course of the final few months of the season.
Leclerc won the Italian Grand Prix despite McLaren’s pace advantage and Sainz’s victory in Mexico City was arguably the most dominant performance of his Formula 1 career.
A report from the Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport has shared more details about the preparations underway at Maranello for 2025.
Ferrari may have already perfected one aspect of next year’s car that Hamilton will very much enjoy.
Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 Ferrari already has ‘perfect’ floor ahead of next season
The ruleset that defines how each builds their cars doesn’t include any significant changes between 2024 and 2025.
Although team principal Frederic Vasseur has said that less than one per cent of Ferrari’s newest car will use parts from their 2024 challenger, it will be a case of evolution rather than revolution to build next season’s creation.
Vasseur said, via Motorsport Week: “If it will be competitive, we’ll find out in Bahrain. Sometimes you don’t realise you’re taking risks until afterwards.
“The car will be completely new; I think we’ll have less than 1 per cent of the parts in common with the 2024 car. It’s a different project, but the same applies to everyone.”
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The report from Gazzetta expects the floor of Ferrari’s 2025 car to be an evolution of the experimental part used by Leclerc in Qatar.
They believe Ferrari’s engineers were ‘able to perfect’ this part in anticipation of a dynamic platform that will be ‘even better integrated’ into their newest aerodynamic concept.
It’s been recognised over the past 12 months how important getting the balance of the car right is, rather than simply applying as much downforce as possible.
If Ferrari can maintain the momentum they created at the end of 2024 then there’s no reason why Hamilton and Leclerc won’t be two of the favourites for the championship.
Ferrari must learn from one failed 2024 update package
The 2024 season perfectly encapsulated how important mid-season developments are in Formula 1.
With the season being so long, teams have more time and importantly more data to inform their decisions.
The likes of Aston Martin and RB installed updates that did more harm than good, while McLaren are the perfect example of a manufacturer who nailed almost every new part added to the car.
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Team principal Andrea Stella delayed McLaren’s new floor being installed as he was worried about the impact the same part had on other team’s performance.
Ferrari delivered a big update in Spain that set them back for several races and it could be argued that one package lost them the title.
If they can avoid any missteps like that in 2025 then Hamilton and Leclerc have a serious chance to overturn McLaren and Max Verstappen’s dominance.
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