Although the upcoming season will be the last one under the current technical regulations, Ferrari are expected to implement key changes on their 2025 car. F1Technical’s lead journalist Balazs Szabo discusses possible changes to the SF-25.
Having elected to enter the upcoming season with a new driver line-up, Ferrari have already kicked off their preparation for 2025. While Charles Leclerc is set to embark on his seventh season with the Scuderia, he will be partnered by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Maranello-based outfit staged a short on-track activity at its own test track in Fiorano on January 22 in a bid to give Hamilton the first opportunity of getting his first mileages under his belt. It was followed by a three-day Testing of Previous Cars running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the two-year-old SF-23.
The team completed another run this week, this time working with Pirelli on the Montmelo circuit, as the Italian tyre supplier tested its narrower 2026 F1 tyres.
In the meantime, Ferrari also confirmed that their 2025 F1 car will be called the SF-25. It follows the naming convention that has been in place for the last two seasons, with Ferrari’s 2023 and 2024 machines called the SF-23 and SF-24 respectively.
With the 2026 F1 season set to bring major changes to the power unit and the aerodynamics regulations, most of the teams are expected to carry over the design philosophy from last season into the 2025 campaign.
The illustration of F1ingenerale.com shows the possible changes Ferrari might implement on their 2025 F1 car that will be piloted by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
As reported by several media outlets, Ferrari will introduce some key changes to their 2025 F1 car. Among the technical modifications are the tweak to the front wing and nose. The latter is expected to become a longer design which is an area in which teams have not converged since the introduction of the current ground-effect technical regulations.
The most significant change could affect the suspension layout of the car. Although Red Bull has headed the design direction with a pull-rod front suspension in recent years, Ferrari hang on to the more conventional push-rod layout in the previous three years.
With the current generation cars producing a big portion of their downforces with the sophisticated venturi channels beneath the floor, it is vital to direct as much air into that area.
While the pull-rod front suspension fell out of favor with the previous generation of vehicles, the potential aerodynamic advantages it offers for ground effect cars are now becoming increasingly clear. In general, pull-rod setups suit ground-effect cars for a lower center of gravity, while push-rod setups offer convenience and cost-effectiveness.
Ferrari are reported to be considering a switch from push rod suspension to pull rod next year after the problems it encountered with porpoising this year.
The change to a pull-rod front suspension lay-out will possibly force Ferrari to introduce a reshaped sidepod air inlet, and the cockpit is also believed to move backwards in comparison to last year’s SF-24 which is an area that Hamilton had previously asked for from Mercedes.
