Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur promised at the end of last season that the 2025 car would be ‘completely new’. The team planned to change 99% of their successful 2024 machine.
This was a risk. Ferrari had just come off a 22-podium campaign – the first time a team had topped that leaderboard without winning the championship since 2012.
They were on the precipice of lifting the trophy again, just 14 points behind McLaren at the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. It seemed as if only a subtle evolution was needed, rather than an overhaul.
But Ferrari were aggressive, with the switch to pull-rod front suspension the headline change in a bold redesign. Now, the Scuderia will wish they were more measured.
Ferrari must regret their winter changes at this stage. They’re a long way from winning one race – let alone matching their 2024 haul of five victories.
Enrico Cardile greenlit overhaul of Ferrari’s F1 car – and it’s hurting Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari had just built their best F1 car in years, so it was a surprising time for a shake-up. According to Brazilian journalist Julianne Cerasoli, Enrico Cardile was behind this decision.
Cardile was previously the technical director at Maranello, but it was announced last summer that he was joining Aston Martin. By then, the plans for the SF-25 were already in place.
One could argue that Lewis Hamilton’s first season was spoiled before he even walked through the door. And it may be worth questioning why Cardile wielded so much influence while his future was uncertain.
Of course, the Italian was still working in what he thought were Ferrari’s best interests. But he’s no longer around to address the problem he may have created.
“If you look closely, ok, they took a step back with the decision to completely change this car,” Cerasoli said. “The person who made this decision is no longer there. In fact, they’ve already gone to Aston Martin.”
Lewis Hamilton needs Ferrari engineers to emulate what Red Bull are doing for Max Verstappen
Recent reports claim that Hamilton isn’t satisfied with Ferrari’s working methods. Former team Mercedes have toiled in the ground-effect era but they were unstoppable between 2014 and the end of the decade.
When he signed Hamilton, Vasseur hoped that he was getting more than just a world-class driver. He thought the Briton would extract more performance from all of his colleagues.
- READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
It’s too early to say whether he’ll have that level of impact. For now, the team continue to make the operational mistakes that have plagued them during their ever-lengthening drought.
Ferrari engineers haven’t shown the ‘creativity’ of Red Bull when it comes to set-up changes during race weekends. The Bulls are often able to transform Max Verstappen’s prospects, but Charles Leclerc and Hamilton often seem resigned to a difficult weekend after Friday practice.
Leave feedback about this