Scuderia Ferrari is almost ready with its 677 project for the 2025 Formula 1 season, a proposal imbued with bright ambitions and fierce determination. A championship looms on the horizon as a true promise, with one goal: to stop watching others triumph. This is the dream nurtured with resolve, which has to be confirmed on the track when engines start roaring during the pre-season testing session which will again take place at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir in February. The Italian side is preparing to change its skin while keeping the SF-25 as a natural successor to its predecessor.
Behind this evolution lies a subtle yet relentless intent: to eliminate, once and for all, the issues that have shackled its ambitions, particularly in tire management during the last Formula 1 racing campaign. Frenchman Loic Serra, arriving from Mercedes, brings not only the echo of his past successes but also expertise honed in the quiet tension of Brackley’s laboratories. It couldn’t be otherwise: this man directed the beating heart of the German team, leading the department dedicated to vehicle dynamics.
Ferrari plans to exploit this talent to the last drop, aware that tire performance is not just a technical matter but an art: the delicate balance that binds the car to its universe of speed. In addition to the meticulous work on suspension layouts, which we have detailed in other articles that dissect every aspect of the Scuderia’s car, today, we invite you to explore another equally intriguing topic that emerges as a fine thread in this grand narrative. Without further ado, let’s see what it’s about.
The Ferrari engineers and technicians plan to introduce several technical changes to reset the aerodynamic platform. But the wheelbase of the Ferrari 677 will remain the same as the SF-24. This is the maximum allowed by current technical regulations: a length of 3600 millimeters. Although many have speculated about a possible shortening of the wheelbase, we can confirm that it will remain unchanged. The reasons are readily explained and revolve around aerodynamics. Having less space between the two axles would, in effect, result in significant disadvantages. Chief among them is the loss of a useful portion of the floor, which, though reduced, has enormous consequences on the total downforce generated by the Formula 1 car.
On the other hand, if the level of downforce generated by the Italian single-seater were to decrease, tire management would automatically become much more challenging. As a result, the process of warming up the tires could become significantly more complicated, something Ferrari cannot afford. During the 2024 Formula 1 season, the SF-24 car had a reduced tendency, compared to the average of other top teams, to generate friction and therefore heat in the tires. Just think of the various qualifying sessions where they struggled to properly warm up the compounds, especially on the front end.
We refer particularly to the single preparation lap during qualifying sessions. This disadvantage turned into a benefit over the 300-kilometer race distance but compromised more than one starting position. The wheelbase will therefore remain the same, although some things will change. As mentioned, the idea behind these modifications is aerodynamic. The front tire generates a significant amount of turbulence behind it. There are various methods to reduce and displace this turbulence to minimize its negative effects. Ferrari’s objective was to increase the distance between the front tire and the sidepods.
Essentially, the Maranello team wanted a few extra millimeters to manage the tire wake of the front tire, a critical issue in today’s cars. The regulations in this area are very restrictive, leaving little room for solutions similar to the old “barge boards.” Thus, the Ferrari engineers have to act differently, using vortices and flows to redirect the turbulent fluid mass. This gradual displacement occurs over a certain distance. The greater this distance, the higher the benefit achieved. Just a few millimeters make a significant difference and help address this important challenge.
This move aims to reduce the percentage of turbulence reaching the floor and potentially being drawn into it. There are other methods and devices to prevent this, but avoiding it entirely is always preferable. On this note, a crucial aspect needs clarification. The extension of this section of the F1 car had to be compensated by shortening another section. Nothing else could have been done to make things work. This is why Ferrari, through targeted efforts, effectively shortened the gearbox casing to recover those precious millimeters allocated further forward.
This measure involved developing many parts of the car, as confirmed by Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur in recent weeks. During the Christmas dinner of the historic team, the French manager shared percentages concerning the SF-25’s new components. The Italian team was thus forced to adapt several elements, including the transmission, to achieve a new balance for the car, both in terms of weight and aerodynamics.
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