Ferrari have made some ‘important’ detail changes to the rear suspension of the SF-25 car driven by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in F1 2025, it has been claimed.

The Scuderia launched their new car for the F1 2025 season earlier this week, releasing the first images of the SF-25 in the immediate aftermath of Formula 1’s season-launch event in London on Tuesday.

Ferrari’s ‘important’ yet subtle changes to the SF-25 rear suspension uncovered

Leclerc and Hamilton shared driving duties at Fiorano the following day, completing a shakedown ahead of F1’s official three-day test in Bahrain, which is due to begin on Wednesday.

Although F1 2025 marks the final year of the current regulations, Ferrari have introduced a number of design changes ahead of the new season as the team target a first World Championship of any kind since 2008.

Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, has described the SF-25 as a “completely new” car compared to its predecessor, which fell just 14 points short of beating McLaren to the 2024 Constructors’ title.

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A move to a pullrod front suspension is the most notable change to the SF-25 – previously known under the codename Project 677 – with Ferrari following in the footsteps of McLaren and Red Bull.

A pullrod suspension layout is believed to bring a major aerodynamic advantage by increasing airflow to the complex underbody, which generates a high proportion of the car’s overall downforce under the current ground-effect regulations.

The change is believed to have been facilitated by the departure of former technical director Enrico Cardile, who has joined Aston Martin ahead of the new season having announced his departure from Ferrari last summer.

Despite the changes to the front suspension, Ferrari have elected to retain the team’s unusual pullrod suspension layout at the rear of the car.

Ferrari’s suspension choices have been frequently scrutinised across the ground-effect era, with the Scuderia and customer outfit Haas to persist with a pullrod rear.

The remaining eight teams all compete with a pushrod rear suspension.

A report by Italian publication Auto Racer has claimed that Ferrari’s changes at the rear of the car are more ‘important’ than they appear at first glance, with the focus more on evolution rather than revolution in that area of the SF-25.

It is said that Ferrari remain convinced that a pushrod rear suspension does not provide a big enough advantage to justify changing the concept, persuading the team to stick with a pullrod layout for the new season.

The team’s view was reportedly ‘reinforced’ in 2024 as Ferrari developed a fuller understanding of the impact of the pushrod suspension on the car’s performance.

Having started to focus on shrinking the internal components of the rear suspension in 2023, Ferrari are said to have gone even ‘further’ with the SF-25 in a bid to optimise the kinematics.

This has seen the gearbox partly lowered, which in turn has allowed Ferrari to develop a more advanced diffuser now the gearbox is ‘even more immersed’ in the floor.

It is hoped that it will result in an aerodynamic boost at the rear of the car, helping Ferrari to manage ride heights and hopping.

Ride heights have proven key under the current ground-effect rules, with cars aiming to run the car as close to the ground as possible to optimise performance without inadvertently triggering ill effects like porpoising.

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The news of Ferrari’s subtle changes to the rear suspension come after it emerged that Hamilton has made further requests to the team after the SF-25 shakedown.

A report from Italy has claimed that Hamilton has asked for some ‘small and relatively minor details’ to the car, with fixes expected to arrive in time for the start of pre-season testing in Bahrain.

As reported at the time by PlanetF1.com, Hamilton previously called for some adjustments in the aftermath of his Ferrari test debut at Fiorano on January 22, when the car’s pedals proved a source of discomfort.

Hamilton suffered a couple of lockups during his maiden Ferrari test as the seven-time World Champion struggled to adjust to the car’s brakes.

Ferrari are believed to use Brembo braking materials, with Hamilton accustomed to Carbon Industrie brakes across his 11-year stint at Mercedes.

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