Ferrari are holding an independent launch for their 2025 Formula 1 car on Wednesday. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc flew straight back to Italy after their stop in London.
Hamilton received perhaps the loudest cheers of the night when he took to the stage at the O2 Arena. He was arguably the main attraction at the F1 75 season launch, though there was also a warm reception for Leclerc.
Ferrari revealed a first glimpse of their 2025 livery, which is noticeably darker last year. It also features a white strip that was absent from the SF-24.
Traditionally, the main focus at a car launch is the design. But this didn’t deter McLaren and Williams from holding launch events in bespoke colours, and Ferrari know there will still be plenty of publicity after the blockbuster signing of Hamilton.
Leclerc was the first drive to the new car as part of the Fiorano shakedown. Hamilton then took to the track in the afternoon.
Under the regulations, the teams are permitted a maximum of 200km each on these filming days. This allocation will be split between the drivers.
Did Ferrari encounter a technical problem on first outing for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton?
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Leclerc’s Ferrari ‘reportedly suffered a problem’ during the morning session. This forced him to stop on track.
Part of the purpose of a shakedown is to unearth any technical issues. But there’s no indication that constructors’ title rivals McLaren suffered any such problem.
Gazzetta suggest Ferrari got running again after a pit stop, but there are conflicting noises. Another Italian journalist, Giuliano Duchessa, has seemingly been assured by Ferrari that there was ‘no problem’ before the end of the session.
Ferrari only suffered four DNFs during the 2024 season, three of which were caused by accidents. Leclerc’s engine issue in Canada was the exception.
The first photos of the 2025 Ferrari F1 car confirm one big change
One would expect F1 cars to be more reliable than ever this year. It’s the final year of the ruleset, and the engines have been largely the same since 2014.
Fundamental changes are coming next year with the removal of the MGU-H, the move towards sustainable fuel and the huge increase in the battery output. But until then, mechanical retirements will be a rarity, particularly among the top teams.
In a title race that could be tighter than ever, a single DNF could make all the difference. Last year, Fred Vasseur had ‘tonnes of thoughts’ over where Ferrari lost the 14 decisive points to McLaren.
Vasseur has said that the new car will be 99% different from its predecessor. The headline is that Ferrari have switched to a pull-rod front suspension, as confirmed by their first photos.
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