After narrowly lacking the Constructors’ Championship this season, Scuderia Ferrari is aiming for the massive prize in 2025. The 2024 automotive initiated a conceptual revolution by altering Maranello’s design strategy, a metamorphosis too important to be accomplished in only one yr. The 2025 Ferrari will full this metamorphosis with new options designed to handle the weak factors of the already spectacular SF-24.
Totally different in form however, above all, in habits, the 2024 Ferrari single-seater marks a break from the previous. From the bodywork to cooling and suspension methods, the SF-24 automotive’s geometries are tailor-made to a brand new method of engaged on observe. This leads to a stability completely different from earlier Ferraris, with a spotlight completely on drivability. “We needed to cut back lap instances by delivering a automotive that’s higher to drive and sturdy in any wind and asphalt temperature situation,” defined former technical director Enrico Cardile in the course of the presentation again in February – “Drivability was improved by prioritizing sure aerodynamic facets over others.”
The revolution’s roots date again to the 2023 Formulation 1 season, when the Maranello staff undertook in depth evaluation to translate drivability into numerical objectives, rethinking the aerodynamic map. With this new route, Ferrari seeks to shed the traits typical of the 2023 automotive and people predating ground-effect laws—vehicles with nice peak efficiency however restricted to a slim vary of circumstances, normally solely achievable with new tires within the qualifying session. The result’s a extra predictable automotive, simpler to develop and perceive for drivers, who can now push it to the restrict with out extreme corrections, preserving the tires higher over lengthy distances.
This represents a broader working window, which, as Frederic Vasseur famous, simplifies setup work: “That is the most important step ahead in comparison with final yr—not that it’s a straightforward automotive to deal with, but it surely permits us to succeed in a superb setup compromise for the weekend extra shortly.” If Ferrari was capable of take the struggle to McLaren for the 2024 F1 title till the final lap of the ultimate race, it was due to this robust execution, constantly extracting the utmost from the automotive in each driving and setup.
The qualifying compromise
The idea Ferrari is pursuing aligns with Frederic Vasseur’s tips, selling a race-oriented strategy over one centered on single-lap efficiency. The SF-24 is more practical over lengthy distances, a high quality partially derived from its aerodynamics. Floor-effect vehicles are extraordinarily delicate to journey top, which adjustments considerably with gas load and cornering speeds, that are increased in qualifying. Maranello’s aerodynamicists have shifted the compromise towards race efficiency, creating a balanced automotive that’s higher than McLaren early on and sooner than Crimson Bull within the closing phases. Nonetheless, the tightening of the sector calls for higher qualifying efficiency for 2025. A powerful race tempo turns into tough to use when ranging from behind, particularly given the rising aerodynamic disruption confronted by trailing vehicles as aerodynamics turn out to be extra complicated.
The stability between qualifying and race efficiency additionally pertains to tire administration. The SF-24 is especially light on tires, with good administration of entrance graining and glorious management of rear degradation, particularly within the closing laps on softer compounds. By transferring much less vitality to the tires in 2024, Ferrari has been capable of restrict overheating, gaining competitiveness as ambient temperatures rise. Nonetheless, this compromises the power to shortly convey the tires as much as temperature within the opening laps and extract peak grip, contributing to weaker single-lap efficiency. Ferrari will purpose to handle this within the 2025 Formulation 1 marketing campaign by engaged on suspension geometries and mechanics. These measures shall be important to adapt to new tires, which Pirelli has developed with increased working temperatures in thoughts.
Regardless of its renewal, the 2024 Ferrari automotive continues to hold a power weak point that has plagued the Scuderia over the previous 5 years. “Our predominant downside is medium-slow mixed corners,” Carlos Sainz said mid-season, echoing Charles Leclerc’s observations. For years, Ferrari has struggled with instability in the course of the lengthy phases of medium-speed corners, a energy of rival McLaren. This challenge partly explains Maranello’s recurring mid-season decline on the sweeping turns of European circuits. It’s a flaw that predates the ground-effect laws, signaling a particular improvement strategy Ferrari is now attempting to appropriate.
The brand new ground, examined from Las Vegas onward, represents a robust assertion of intent on this regard. Charles Leclerc described it as “a distinct strategy,” which, in comparison with the earlier idea, “is superb in some areas and worse in others.” Ferrari goals to enhance its habits in high-speed sections, the place the automotive skims the bottom, and in slower, longer corners, the place extensive steering angles and yaw expose the ground to wheel turbulence. To attain this, Ferrari might must sacrifice a few of its present strengths, resembling agility in 90° sluggish corners typical of road circuits, in change for a greater general stability.
This can be a long-term undertaking that can’t be accomplished inside a single Formulation 1 season. The updates dropped at the SF-24 deal with different areas, resembling high-speed corners with the Imola package deal or front-end load with the Singapore wing. “Even when the updates work, there are some traits you’ll be able to’t resolve with easy improvement,” Carlos Sainz summarized. The revolution Ferrari has begun spans two years, with the aim of addressing instability in cornering and different remaining shortcomings by 2025.
The SF-24’s evolution couldn’t be accomplished in a single yr. Redesigning a totally completely different automotive in such a short while was unimaginable, requiring sure mounted factors amidst the numerous variables launched on the 2024 Ferrari. Notable adjustments embody abandoning the wide-body idea in favor of slimmer sidepods to enhance airflow high quality towards the diffuser. This shift required new methods for managing turbulence. The implications lengthen to the chassis, which wanted extra complicated geometries to accommodate cumbersome digital elements and carve out the narrower sidepod form.
The SF-24 additionally options important adjustments to the rear, introducing a brand new suspension idea partially built-in into the gearbox. “It’s a brand new idea, an innovation for us as a result of it’s a distinct method of managing the suspension in comparison with what we’ve finished prior to now,” defined Enrico Cardile at that second. Ferrari’s confidence in not conforming to the competitors is commendable, because it stays devoted to the rear pull-rod suspension, reinterpreted with a distinct perspective. Ferrari’s robust performances at Monaco and Baku are partly because of this suspension, which, in balancing airflow administration, preserves mechanical habits over bumps.
Given the quite a few adjustments carried out on the SF-24, Ferrari needed to defer some modifications to 2025. As an illustration, the 2024 entrance suspension continues the earlier setup, leaving questions on whether or not the following automotive will discover completely different geometries, together with the pull-rod/push-rod scheme and anti-dive kinematics. The primary Ferrari pushed by Lewis Hamilton will inherit traits from the automotive that got here near the Constructors’ Championship however will even introduce new options to finish the conceptual shift.
In Abu Dhabi, Charles Leclerc summed up the concerns of Ferrari followers for the upcoming yr: “There are a lot of examples the place we completed a season strongly, solely to battle at first of the following one.” Previously, Ferrari’s pursuit of most efficiency has undermined the stability of the next automotive, depriving the staff of the consistency wanted to struggle for titles. This time, nevertheless, drivability is the cornerstone of Ferrari’s new idea, carried out throughout this transitional biennium. The appointment of Loic Serra as Chassis Technical Director aligns with Maranello’s new design philosophy. Loic Serra’s experience in automobile dynamics will assist channel aerodynamic work towards stability, stability, and flexibility.
The 2025 Ferrari will thus full the revolution begun in 2024 whereas additionally defining the strategy the Maranello staff will take below the 2026 laws.
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