Ferrari ultimately fell short in their pursuit of a first Formula 1 world championship for 16 years, but put up a great effort along the way.
A double podium from both Charles Leclerc and the outgoing Carlos Sainz at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix wasn’t enough and saw them fall short by just 14 points.
During the longest season in Formula 1 history, it’s still a great achievement for Ferrari to be able to walk away holding their head high and proud that they managed to take things to the last race of the season.
The signing of Lewis Hamilton for 2025 is not only exciting, but it should help them elevate their performance to a new level and make the fight for both championships even more tantalising.
2026 F1 wind tunnel time a ‘critical advantage’ for Ferrari
There is a silver lining to being a loser in Formula 1 nowadays, with the reward of more wind tunnel time in the future levelling the playing field.
It means that there is more time and resources available to spend developing their car in the future – something which should help them close the gap to McLaren.
The start of new technical regulations always shakes the field up and could invite new teams to be in contention at the front.
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Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Martin Brundle mentioned how having more wind tunnel time is a bonus for the Scuderia.
“You know what, they get a bit more wind tunnel time going into 2026. That’s going to be critical going into the regulations.
“They won’t have so far to walk when they go down the pit lane into the paddock. McLaren will be at the very beginning of the pit lane, which sometimes gives you some tactical advantages.”
Why Ferrari could be the favourites for the 2025 title
There was one key trend which changed in 2024 that suggests Ferrari could be the favourites heading into next season.
For the first time in over a decade, they managed to outdevelop some of their rivals and were competitive at the end of the season.
During championship clashes with Mercedes in the late 2010s, Sebastian Vettel was left to fight a losing battle with cars that fell off as the season progressed.
READ MORE: Nico Rosberg outlines two key reasons Red Bull have ‘completely dropped away’ from McLaren and Ferrari
If they start on the right foot from the season-opener at the Australian Grand Prix in mid-March, they could very well run away with the championship.
But the likes of McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes are all going to be charging had to stop them and will want a taste of glory again.
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