Ferrari completed multiple raids on Mercedes including the signing of Lewis Hamilton and one new recruit has already intervened to make a big change to their 2025 F1 car.
The Scuderia took the covers off their latest car on Wednesday by putting the SF-25 through its paces during a shakedown at Fiorano. Charles Leclerc was the first one to experience the SF-25 amid a filming day, after Ferrari repainted their 2024 car to reveal their livery at F1 75.
Ferrari have used a darker shade of red for the SF-25 which marks the first Scuderia car that Hamilton will race after his arrival from Mercedes, with an initial two-year contract. The 40-year-old has seemed rejuvenated since dressing in red after a frustrating few terms in silver.
Mercedes defector Loic Serra intervened to change how Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari uses its Pirelli tyres
Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari did not mark the only transfer of personnel from Brackley to Maranello, though. Ferrari also hired Mercedes’ performance director Loic Serra to be their chassis technical director plus Jerome d’Ambrosio as their deputy team principal.
Serra was initially due to join Ferrari to be their head of chassis performance engineering in October. But Enrico Cardile stepping down from the role of chassis technical director to join Aston Martin as their chief technical officer created the opening to hand Serra a promotion.
READ MORE: Seven best drives of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes career before Ferrari move
The Frenchman’s arrival in Maranello has already started to pay off, as well. Whilst the SF-25 is not entirely the child of Serra’s ideas as Ferrari started designing their 2025 F1 car prior to his arrival, Auto Racer now reports the technician intervened to change how it uses its tyres.
Serra is renowned for interpreting a car’s performance and executing his ideas without a lot of emotion or drama. So, after replacing Cardile, Serra quickly identified that Ferrari should change how the SF-25 interacts with the new Pirelli tyre compounds for the 2025 F1 season.
The SF-25 should also suit both Hamilton and Leclerc’s driving styles after Ferrari worked on improving how their car handled with drivers who utilise the front axle for corner entry. The Scuderia also strived to create a wider operating window with the SF-25 than the SF-24 had.
Pirelli to introduce new F1 tyres in 2025 including a super-soft C6 compound
Hamilton and Leclerc will hope Serra’s early intervention at Ferrari to change how the SF-25 uses its Pirelli tyres pays off when the 2025 Formula 1 season starts at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16. Pre-season testing in Bahrain on February 26, 27 and 28 will even be vital.
Pirelli is introducing changes to its tyres in 2025, including adding a C6 compound to the five existing options within its previous range. The C6 effectively marks a return of the super-soft tyre compound, and Pirelli plans to include it within its range at certain street tracks in 2025.
F1 teams tested the C6 tyres in the Pirelli post-season test at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December. But the new compound – likely to be taken to Monaco, Canada, Singapore and Las Vegas – struggled to complete even one lap of the Yas Marina Circuit without overtaking.
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