Ferrari encountered setbacks during the second free practice session at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, but team principal Frédéric Vasseur has made it clear that the Italian team knows how to respond. Following a visible show of confidence from Ferrari’s top management—highlighted by the presence of John Elkann at the Hungaroring—Vasseur reiterated the importance of patience and consistency in Formula 1. According to the French team principal, these are the essential elements required to build a winning project. It is a valid perspective, although it is equally true that each season must include a meaningful step forward to progressively close the gap to the leading teams. So far in 2025, however, that step still seems elusive.
The tyre activation issues of the SF-25
During the second free practice session on Friday afternoon, the Ferrari SF-25 showed clear signs of instability at the rear. This issue was directly reported by Charles Leclerc over team radio. The Monegasque racing driver explained, particularly after completing his second stint on the soft-compound red-banded Pirelli tyres, that the core of the problem lies in tyre management—an issue that Ferrari has been trying to resolve for a while but continues to struggle with.
On a fundamental level, the SF-25 continues to suffer from difficulties in managing tyre temperatures efficiently. This is not a new issue for the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team. The front axle tends to cool too rapidly, while the rear axle suffers from overheating. This thermal imbalance has been a recurring challenge for the Maranello-based squad. The scenario, predicted during pre-weekend technical analyses, once again made its presence felt at the Hungaroring. This temperature asynchrony continues to limit the performance potential of the Ferrari SF-25. It is a critical issue that must be resolved if the team hopes to compete consistently at the front.
If the goal is to close the gap to the highly competitive McLaren MCL39 and potentially fight with the cars from the Woking-based team, Ferrari must take a step forward. That step involves refining the car’s basic setup and improving how the mechanical grip is translated through the suspension system. The team needs to unlock a level of performance that remains latent within the car. However, this is far from an easy task. The Scuderia still struggles to interpret and respond to changing ambient conditions, a weakness that continues to impact its competitiveness.
Overnight simulator work will be critical
The overnight work in the Maranello-based simulator will be crucial this time. Beyond the usual factors that require consideration, Ferrari must also evaluate the performance of recent aerodynamic upgrades. These include the revised floor introduced at the Austrian Grand Prix and, more importantly, the newly developed rear pull-rod suspension geometry first tested at the Belgian Grand Prix. These updates are still undergoing validation from Ferrari’s vehicle dynamics department, and their full effect on performance is yet to be confirmed.
Vasseur praises drivers and team progress
As for Frédéric Vasseur, the French team principal expressed satisfaction with Charles Leclerc’s performance on Friday in Budapest. Vasseur described both free practice sessions as smooth and productive for the team. He also reminded the media that, as is often the case on Fridays, it’s difficult to draw direct comparisons due to unknown variables such as differing fuel loads and engine mapping settings between teams. Nevertheless, Vasseur maintained that the direction Ferrari is taking with car setup is the correct one.
Fred Vasseur also had positive remarks about both of his drivers. He specifically praised Lewis Hamilton—seven-time Formula 1 world champion—for his work in understanding and adapting the SF-25’s aerodynamic configuration. According to Vasseur, Hamilton focused his attention on analyzing downforce levels during long-run simulations with high fuel loads and achieved a consistent race pace across both practice sessions, even though the British driver tested different tyre compounds.
Ferrari’s team principal, who recently renewed his contract with the Italian team, concluded his comments with a general reflection on the weekend ahead. He reinforced the positive aspects of the SF-25’s race pace but admitted that further optimisation is still required to fully extract the car’s potential. The competition is extremely close, with just a few tenths of a second separating multiple teams. In such a tightly packed field, even the smallest mistake can have a decisive impact on the outcome.
Fred Vasseur was clear in his message: errors must be avoided at all costs. He urged the team to remain focused on its own performance and not become overly concerned with what the rivals are doing—an approach Ferrari followed closely during Friday’s running. While the long-run performance appears solid over a 300-kilometre race distance, there is still room for improvement in single-lap qualifying performance. Vasseur fully understands this and emphasized its importance.
Qualifying will be decisive
This focus on qualifying performance encapsulates the main challenge of the weekend. At the Hungaroring, where overtaking is notoriously difficult, starting position on the grid is often decisive. The issue for Ferrari lies in addressing the lack of rear-end grip—especially in the technical third sector of the circuit. The solution will depend on fine-tuning tyre warm-up procedures and ensuring maximum grip across all corners of the Hungarian track. That will be the key to transforming potential into results for Scuderia Ferrari in Budapest.
Leave a Reply