In a Formula 1 that is increasingly English-speaking, with England having become the center of the top class, it’s fitting to use the English word “hype” to describe the expectation for Ferrari in 2025. Hype is the feeling that the Ferrari fanbase is experiencing in anticipation of the upcoming season.
The recent statements by Frederic Vasseur, made during the usual Christmas lunch with the press, leave no room for doubt or interpretation: the Italian side aims for victory in the 2025 Formula 1 campaign.
There is no more concise phrase than this to highlight Ferrari’s goal for the coming year. The last season left us with a great overall performance from the SF-24, which, without the technical and performance lapses shown during the summer races, could have really eliminated the zero in the constructors’ titles column that has followed Maranello for far too many years.
The goal of victory will pass through a true revolution of the car, which, as reported by Fred Vasseur, will be 99% different from the previous one. A choice that might seem countertrend to what was seen on track after the summer break, when the last Ferrari car fought for the title with McLaren until the final race.
In all likelihood, in embracing this absolute break from the recent past, the SF-24 reached its maximum evolution in a regulatory cycle that will end in 2025, and therefore Maranello is looking for alternative and different ways to aim for victory. There’s anticipation to see the new technical director Loic Serra, already an integral part of the 2025 project, at work.
Serra, like Jerome d’Ambrosio, the new right-hand man of the team principal (both were present at the press lunch for what was their first public outing in red), form two of the pillars on which Ferrari under Vasseur is founded.
And all this while waiting for the main event: Lewis Hamilton. The debut in red is getting closer, at least the unofficial one that will take place at Fiorano in the coming weeks, with Hamilton wearing the Maranello team’s red suit behind the wheel of a past Ferrari.
Just a few years ago, this scenario seemed unlikely, if not impossible. Yet Sir Lewis has chosen to start again from Maranello to chase an eighth world championship. By choosing this sporting partnership, Ferrari has taken on a great responsibility to the most successful driver in Formula 1 history, in a true historic/iconic union aimed at reviving the glory days that Maranello hasn’t celebrated since 2007.
The last two world champions to join Ferrari with high expectations, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, did not have the opportunity to rely on a competitive car for the long term, but only intermittently. Who knows if Lewis Hamilton will benefit from this “honor.”
But this honor can only be granted by Ferrari, in what Ferrari fans dream of as a top-level battle between the two drivers, Lewis and Charles, in a red derby with a world championship flavor. As always, the final word will be issued by the “court of last resort” of motorsport: the track.
The days are passing, and 2025 is approaching, and with it, the hype grows…
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