TECH ANALYSIS: Ferrari’s SF-25 Shows Significant Changes, Boosting Confidence
Ferrari has described their 2025 challenger, the SF-25, as a “completely new car,” using last year’s model merely as a foundation. Several external changes are readily apparent, more so than on other 2025 cars released thus far.
Technical Director Loic Serra has overseen a shift from Ferrari’s traditional push rod front suspension to a pull rod layout, as favored by McLaren and Red Bull. However, the rear suspension remains pull rod, in contrast to those teams.
Ferrari states that this architectural change aims “to clean up the airflow around the car, while also giving greater scope for further aero development, which had pretty much been exhausted with the previous iteration.” Last year’s car excelled in slow corners but lagged behind McLaren and Red Bull in high-speed sections, limited by a lower downforce ceiling.
Ferrari appears to have extended the wheelbase by increasing the gap between the front axle and the cockpit on the SF-25. This allows the sidepods to start further behind the front wheels, optimizing airflow to the pods and underfloor, minimizing disruption from front wheel wake.
Serra emphasized that the front suspension itself is only the most obvious of the many significant changes. The new pull rod front suspension allows for a greater degree of anti-dive in the geometry, enabling the car to run lower and enhancing underbody downforce at high speeds.
The increased space between the wheels and the cockpit offers better airflow management, resulting in greater energy and precision. Ferrari says the SF-25 was “designed with the aim of maximizing the development potential of the car, in a season when, thanks to the long stability of the regulations now in their final year, one can expect the field to be extremely evenly matched with just thousandths of a second in lap time making the difference.”
Comparing the radiator inlets of the SF-24 (top) and the new SF-25 (bottom) shows that, with the sidepod beginning further back from the wheels, the upper lip which separates the airflow going into the radiator with that along the sidepod top now overhangs significantly more. Ferrari has also made nuanced changes to the power unit, aiming for an improved performance spread across various track types.
Ferrari exudes confidence about the SF-25, with the team clearly excited by its performance potential in simulations. Team boss Frederic Vasseur reflected this feeling: “We feel ready as a team to take the extra step required to be the best. We are aware of the challenges that await us, but we are ready to give it our all, to be competitive at the highest level, knowing we can also rely on the support and enthusiasm of our fans, who always inspire us. Now it’s time to concentrate on the job in hand and let the track do the talking. I can’t wait for this season to start.”
