Ferrari arrives at the seventh Grand Prix of the 2025 Formula 1 season carrying the weight of a disastrous round. We are talking about Miami, of course, where the Italian team showcased all of its weaknesses. Two weeks of in-depth data analysis from the track allowed the Maranello team to identify the issues and seek solutions to improve the SF-25. That said, expectations remain quite low for the race weekend at the 4.909-kilometre Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Italy.
As Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur himself stated, no major changes are expected for the upcoming weekend. The largest aerodynamic update package is scheduled for the Spanish Grand Prix at the end of the month, when the new technical directive on flexible wings, which has been strongly pushed by the FIA, will come into play. A move aimed at definitively ending the advantages of aeroelasticity. In the meantime, the weekend on the banks of the Santerno approaches.
Ferrari is expected to introduce a new beam wing to widen the setup window and consequently improve rear axle downforce. Of course, it is not a game-changing modification, but it could still help the team significantly. We are now well aware of how powerful setup optimization can be, especially in the current racing season.
Having more room for maneuver with the setup facilitates on-track compromises. Getting the SF-25 to work at its best: that is the goal for the weekend where, to be clear, Ferrari will once again have to play defensively. No major step expected, in short, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton once again needing to give their all to bring the Maranello team as high as possible.
The Imola circuit features a combination of medium-high speed corners and slower sections, where mechanical balance plays a key role. Ferrari will need to find the right balance between aerodynamics and mechanics, a task made difficult by the SF-25’s inherently narrow operating window. Managing the setup will therefore be one of the Maranello team’s main challenges.
The Italian side must avoid ending up with a car that is hard to optimize across the full circuit. Undoubtedly, the return to a format with three free practice sessions will aid in the search for the ideal setup. One positive aspect Ferrari can rely on is the SF-25’s ability to handle curbs, a key element at this track. So-called “curb riding” is one of Ferrari’s strengths compared to Red Bull. This refers to the car’s ability to use the inner curb while absorbing the step effectively. In practice, the goal is to limit the amount of vibration transmitted to the chassis. The Italian car features an internal suspension layout that supports this trait. McLaren also enjoys a similar advantage over the Milton Keynes team.
In the 2024 Formula 1 championship, Ferrari struggled greatly on the main straight but made up for it in other parts of the circuit. Charles Leclerc had highlighted issues related to the management of the hybrid system’s mapping, which prevented full exploitation of power in high-speed sections. By contrast, Red Bull and McLaren managed to distribute energy better throughout the lap, ensuring a significant advantage.
Although the Maranello-based team might once again find itself on the defensive at Imola, there are good chances of performing much better in the slow corners, which are not a real weakness for the car. We have been saying it for at least two months, although some only noticed a few days ago, giving credit to an insight that never existed.
Returning to the main topic, giving their best in the more technical sections depends on one thing: getting the car to work in its optimal operating window. Aerodynamic balance will be crucial for this, and will obviously also depend on track conditions and the Maranello team’s ability to adapt quickly. An often underestimated but decisive factor.
Speaking of which, another point to consider is ride height. The circuit features several bumps, forcing teams to run the cars slightly higher off the ground. This could benefit Ferrari by narrowing the gap with other F1 cars, but it could also become a disadvantage if some competitors manage to maintain a lower and more stable setup throughout the lap.
Finally, we come to tyre management, where McLaren appears to implement a trick related to the state of matter to keep temperatures stable. As usual, tyres will be decisive at Imola. They are the only point of contact between the car and the track, and for that reason, making the most of the tyres will be crucial, both in the qualifying session, which is especially important here, and over the 300-kilometre race distance.
It should also be noted that the Pirelli C6 will debut in Italy, a tyre never used before and on which teams have almost no data. The Imola track tends to cause tyre overheating towards the end of the lap, something that must be managed effectively through proper warm-up. This limitation could suit the Ferrari SF-25 single-seater, although this is still just a theory that needs to be tested on track in the first two free practice session.
Last season in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the historic team struggled to activate the tyres in the first chicane, losing valuable tenths in pure driving sections. If Ferrari can solve this important issue, they could gain precious fractions of a second. All this while keeping in mind that the SF-25 suffers from chronic understeer and activating the front tyres in the qualifying session is always very difficult for the Maranello team.
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