Ferrari is currently facing several significant challenges in the 2025 Formula One World Championship. One of the most pressing issues concerns the team’s ongoing inability to consistently replicate the promising long-run performance it shows during the second free practice session, especially when simulating race conditions with a full fuel load. This specific problem, which directly impacts Ferrari’s ability to compete over full race distances, has become a central focus for the engineers and performance analysts working tirelessly at the Maranello headquarters. The reasons behind this performance inconsistency are complex and numerous, especially considering that every Grand Prix weekend presents its own unique set of competitive variables, such as track layout, temperature, tire compounds, and weather conditions. Nonetheless, what remains clear is that the Maranello-based team continues to show flashes of competitive potential—performance capabilities that it has repeatedly failed to unlock during race day.
So let’s analyze the contrast between Ferrari’s Friday simulations and Sunday race performance. At this stage of the 2025 Formula 1 season, the championship has reached its halfway mark, with twelve rounds completed so far. A closer look at various data points from different races reveals some revealing and insightful trends. Specifically, we conducted a comparative analysis of the Ferrari SF-25’s race pace during free practice sessions—especially those long runs performed during FP2 simulations—against the car’s actual performance during the full 300-kilometer Grand Prix race. The goal was to highlight how Ferrari’s long-run pace changes between simulation and actual race conditions. We then measured and recorded the time gaps relative to the fastest driver in each event.
In as many as 8 of the 12 races held so far this season, Ferrari has shown a noticeably better long-run pace in the free practice simulations compared to its race-day performance. In three of those Grands Prix—which are visually highlighted in red in the relevant performance charts—the discrepancy was especially dramatic. This is a recurring narrative for Ferrari: on Fridays, the SF-25 often looks well-balanced and competitive, especially when running with a high fuel load, showing encouraging signs of strong race pace. However, these positive indications almost never carry over to Sunday’s race.
Take, for example, the Bahrain Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. In both of these Formula 1 events, the Ferrari SF-25 appeared capable of matching the pace of the McLaren driven by Lando Norris during Friday simulations. However, when the actual race unfolded on Sunday, the Ferrari car fell short of expectations. The data from Friday practice sessions are objective and often present an optimistic picture that simply does not materialize when it truly matters—during the Grand Prix itself.
Delving deeper, one of the primary causes for this performance discrepancy lies in the conditions under which simulations are run. Most of the long-run simulations conducted during Friday practice sessions are carried out in what Formula 1 teams refer to as “clean air” conditions. This means the car has a sufficient gap to the cars ahead, thereby avoiding the negative aerodynamic effects of turbulent air, also known as “dirty air.” Clean air allows a Formula 1 car to maintain stable aerodynamic balance, consistent tire temperature, and predictable handling.
However, the Ferrari SF-25 frequently starts races from mid-pack positions, due to ongoing issues in qualifying performance, which are challenges that have been extensively documented throughout the 2025 Formula One season. This means that on race day, both Charles Leclerc and his teammate, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, often find themselves stuck behind slower cars and running in turbulent air. As Charles Leclerc himself has previously explained in post-race interviews, this factor alone can drastically alter how the SF-25 performs during the race.
Compared to its competitors, the Ferrari SF-25 is particularly sensitive to running in dirty air. While aerodynamic turbulence is a common challenge faced by all cars in Formula 1, the SF-25 seems to suffer more than most. When following another car closely—especially in a tight midfield battle—turbulence can reduce downforce, destabilize tire temperatures, and ultimately slow the car down. Furthermore, starting behind faster teams like Red Bull or Mercedes compounds the problem. Even following slower cars can become a serious disadvantage, as overtaking in this final season under the current ground effect regulations remains extremely difficult.
Ferrari’s extreme sensitivity therefore undermines its performance consistency. Another important factor that contributes to Ferrari’s race-day underperformance is the ever-changing condition of the racetrack itself. In modern Formula 1, race cars are extremely dependent on tire behavior, and tire compounds—whether soft, medium, or hard—are very sensitive to changes in operating temperature. A shift in ambient temperature or track surface temperature between Friday and Sunday can greatly affect grip levels. As a result, drivers like Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton might find themselves driving a car that feels completely different from one day to the next.
During second practice sessions, when long runs are conducted to simulate race conditions, drivers typically complete relatively short stints—often around 10 laps. In certain cases, teams like Ferrari attempt to extend these runs to better understand thermal degradation, tire wear patterns, and overall tire behavior over time. The data collected during these simulations is then fed into advanced simulation software and predictive models, which aim to forecast tire performance and car behavior over the full race distance of approximately 300 kilometers.
Nevertheless, even the most sophisticated simulations cannot fully replicate the unpredictability and variable nature of a live Formula 1 Grand Prix. Moreover, the Ferrari SF-25 has proven to be an extremely challenging car to set up correctly. As has been observed from the first practice sessions of nearly every race weekend in 2025, the Italian side often conducts a mini long-run test in FP1 to prepare more effectively for the full high-fuel simulation in FP2. While this strategy helps collect valuable data, it does not always guarantee race-day consistency.
The issue lies in the fact that these Friday simulations are carried out with a finely tuned setup that is optimized for the prevailing track and weather conditions. However, the moment these variables begin to shift—even slightly—the SF-25 tends to lose overall grip, balance, and aerodynamic stability. This means the car quickly falls out of its narrow performance window, and the positive handling characteristics seen on Friday disappear entirely by Sunday. This sensitivity makes it extremely difficult for Ferrari to maintain competitive pace across different stages of the race weekend.
This underlying issue points to one of the Ferrari SF-25’s most critical weaknesses: its extreme sensitivity to external variables such as temperature, tire conditions, track evolution, and aerodynamic stability. It is, in short, a fundamentally flawed car—one that the Ferrari engineering department is now attempting to improve as quickly as possible. Just last week, Ferrari conducted a private track test at the Mugello Circuit in Italy to evaluate a brand-new rear suspension system.
This new component, developed with the goal of stabilizing aerodynamic load generation and improving mechanical grip, is designed to broaden the car’s operational window and allow for greater flexibility in setup adjustments. If successful, this technical upgrade could represent a major step forward for the Maranello team. By enabling more consistent handling and reducing sensitivity to environmental changes, it could significantly reduce the current gap between simulation results and actual race-day performance.
Ultimately, this suspension update could allow Ferrari to finally capitalize on the competitive potential it frequently demonstrates during practice sessions. If the revised rear suspension delivers as expected, Ferrari may be able to turn its season around and return to fighting at the front of the grid during the second half of the 2025 Formula One World Championship.
— see video above —
