F1 Testing – Ferrari between good insights and work to do on SF-25 rear end setup

The second day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir featured the first race simulations, a highly anticipated moment to get a clearer idea of the cars’ pace. However, as always in testing, the overall picture remains unclear due to many unknown variables such as engine mappings, fuel loads, and setup adjustments. That said, some interesting data from the simulations can serve as points of reflection.

Ferrari: worse than expected or just an impression?

In the afternoon, Ferrari with Charles Leclerc, Mercedes with Kimi Antonelli, and McLaren with Lando Norris completed full race simulations. Watching the simulation live, the SF-25 appeared to struggle significantly compared to McLaren and Mercedes. However, after aligning the times and considering the overall averages, it turns out that Ferrari and Mercedes had almost identical race pace.

Looking at the details, Charles Leclerc’s first ten laps were very strong, but as the car became lighter, performance slightly worsened, particularly in consistency. This suggests a car that became more nervous and difficult to handle as fuel was consumed.

Another key point from the average telemetry data is that Charles Leclerc was consistently the slowest in straight-line speed, indicating a different aerodynamic or power unit configuration compared to the others.

But it is not just about the engine, the impression is that more work is needed on the rear setup. Bahrain is a rear-limited track, and the SF-25 was frequently seen losing the rear end, both in Lewis Hamilton’s and Charles Leclerc’s hands. The Monegasque driver even spun on his own at the final corner while attempting a fast lap, seemingly due to the car’s current difficulty in transferring the Power Unit’s power to the ground. This led to the spin, as well as numerous corrections seen when exiting corners, right when drivers get back on the throttle. The delayed acceleration caused by this issue, along with the need to avoid overheating the rear tires on this track, also partially explains the lower top speeds.

Another interesting telemetry insight is that Charles Leclerc loses time mainly in braking and corner entry. This could indicate a lack of confidence in the car in that phase, particularly regarding the front-end mechanics. Naturally, this brings up the evaluation of the new pull-rod front suspension, which has a learning curve, requiring drivers to spend time on track to fully adapt to it.

The impression of the red car is that the SF25 is not yet fully sorted, especially from a mechanical standpoint, but this also means it has significant room for improvement, starting with rear-end management. The main positive aspect observed over these days is that the Maranello single-seater seems to behave as the engineers expect when working on setups. The balance has already improved significantly, to the point that we saw a particularly clean and precise lap from Lewis Hamilton, with a stable car, suggesting that the correlation between the engineers’ expectations and the car’s response to setup changes is currently very strong.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s afternoon, replacing George Russell, was particularly interesting as the young Italian also completed a race simulation. Beyond the lap times, Kimi Antonelli demonstrated remarkable consistency in race pace, with extremely steady lap times. We have seen little data from the new Mercedes driver, but each time he has taken the wheel, he has impressed, whether with his speed or his regularity. The trend of his lap times during the simulation showed a slight increase, indicating a more pronounced degradation compared to Charles Leclerc. However, on average, Ferrari and Mercedes were practically identical, within the same tenth of a second.

Regrettably, if there was one team that truly impressed on Thursday, it was McLaren, with Lando Norris delivering an outstanding race simulation. Tire degradation was virtually nonexistent, and his average pace was about half a second per lap faster than Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli.

We do not know exactly what configurations and engine mappings were used, but the impression is that the MCL39 is exceptionally good at protecting its rear end, allowing drivers to push lap after lap without having to manage tire wear excessively. This would also explain Lando Norris’s remarkable consistency, as he maintained an extremely competitive pace without apparent difficulty.

So what can we conclude from the data collected on Thursday? What emerges from that second day of testing is that McLaren seems to have found an excellent balance and is unlikely to be slow this season. However, this does not mean that Ferrari or Mercedes (or Red Bull, which focused on running Liam Lawson without chasing performance) are in definitive trouble.

There are still too many variables at play, and Bahrain is a unique track. Last year, McLaren, which later became one of the best cars of the season, struggled in the early races due to rear-end issues, showing how difficult it is to interpret a single test’s data without the full picture. At the moment, there is more smoke than substance, and it is too early to establish a clear hierarchy.

On the third day, was saw teams pushing harder, both in single-lap runs and long runs. However, until the first qualifying session, uncertainties will remain.