Crucial work on the brand new Ferrari is the one that can’t be seen. The Maranello staff has closely targeted on the mechanical elements of the SF-25, reorganizing inner packaging to unlock house for the aerodynamics division. Regardless of the numerous adjustments, technical director Loic Serra just isn’t frightened that the staff would require an extended studying interval than its rivals to grasp methods to exploit the brand new automobile. Quite the opposite, the modifications intention to speed up the automobile’s progress with deliberate updates.
The work beneath the floor
“The primary purpose of the SF-25 challenge was to unlock house to push growth, each aerodynamically and general,” explains Loic Serra. “The SF-24 was fairly aggressive on the finish of the season, however updating and discovering efficiency was turning into more and more troublesome, so we needed to create house to speed up the event tempo.” Ferrari’s method mirrors what Andrea Stella described for McLaren, beginning with an optimization of the automobile’s structure to permit better room for aerodynamic interventions.
The work has affected your entire automobile, as Loic Serra explains: “On these vehicles, the whole lot is so optimized that while you transfer one element, you then must shift the whole lot else. You may’t say that the primary issue was with the entrance suspension or elsewhere. In actuality, while you begin altering one thing, it units off a series response that results in altering the whole lot. I might say the largest problem was within the general compromise.”
The brand new Ferrari contains a driving place moved again by a few centimeters, mixed with a barely longer wheelbase, as confirmed by Loic Serra: “There are small updates in that space, however they’re actually minimal and never the driving drive behind the challenge.” One of many standout adjustments in the SF-25 is the change to a pull-rod entrance suspension, however the important slimming of the sidepods can be notable, indicating a extra compact radiator and inner elements regardless of the diminished house brought on by the cockpit repositioning. The French engineer continues: “On these vehicles, the satan is within the particulars. All of us discuss in regards to the entrance suspension as a result of it’s the seen tip of the iceberg. Nonetheless, many of the elements on the automobile are new, and it’s not essentially probably the most seen ones which have the largest influence.”
Evolution, not revolution
The inversion of the SF-25’s entrance suspension raises the query of whether or not the staff would require a studying interval, akin to adjusting setup decisions to manage the ground’s experience top. Nonetheless, Loic Serra reassures: “The automobile is a continuation of the earlier one. Now we have modified many elements—most of them—however when it comes to efficiency, the final idea stays the identical. That’s why I don’t anticipate a steeper studying curve than final yr.”
The brand new Ferrari evolves previous design ideas, aiming for better stability in medium-to-high-speed and long-radius corners. Past that, nonetheless, the SF-25 will function equally to its predecessor, akin to optimizing ground aerodynamics for race circumstances with a full gasoline load. The brand new technical director doesn’t foresee a very lengthy studying interval and as an alternative believes that the house freed up across the chassis and bodywork will yield better positive aspects with updates: “The hope is that the event tempo will likely be sooner than on the finish of final season, however I don’t essentially anticipate the automobile to be managed otherwise.”
Looking forward to 2026
The continued growth work in Maranello just isn’t solely targeted on updates for the SF-25, because the staff should additionally push ahead with the 2026 challenge. “The 2025 season will likely be fairly difficult,” admits Loic Serra. “We must develop two vehicles, two very totally different animals, in the identical yr. The 2026 laws are fairly totally different as a result of they have an effect on the engine, chassis, and even the tires. Will probably be an enormous problem. Now we have an SF-25 the place each millisecond will rely, whereas for the 2026 automobile, we now have a clean sheet with a really steep growth curve. Balancing work between the 2 tasks will likely be very troublesome.”
Purchase official Ferrari F1 merchandise!
Let different Scuderia Followers learn about us
