Ferrari brings modified SF25 high-downforce rear wing with subtle aerodynamic changes | F1 Spanish GP. Ferrari brings a medium-high downforce rear wing to Barcelona.

In most of the early rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Ferrari almost always used the now well-known V-shaped medium-downforce wing — a versatile solution suitable for a wide range of circuits, allowing it to meet different needs.

This option allows a good balance between the downforce needed in corners — thanks to a more pronounced central section of the mainplane — and low aerodynamic drag to achieve high top speeds on the straights, an area in which Ferrari has often excelled, especially during races.

However, that wing is not the ideal solution for every Grand Prix. In Monaco, for example, the high-downforce configuration was used, effectively a reintroduction of the same rear specification mounted on last year’s SF-23.

The same principle was applied in Barcelona. On a circuit with many high-speed corners, where significant aerodynamic load and good rear stability are required to avoid tire sliding — and thus reduce thermal degradation — the V-shaped wing is not the best option.

For this reason, Ferrari opted for a medium-high downforce configuration, better suited to the needs of the Catalan circuit. While Formula 1 has already tackled other fast-corner tracks this year, such as Jeddah, it’s also true that the Saudi circuit featured more long straights and, above all, higher-grip asphalt.

In contrast, Barcelona features more abrasive asphalt, higher temperatures, and fast corners that demand a higher downforce setup — though not as extreme as the one used in Monaco, since the track still includes two long straights where maintaining low aerodynamic drag is crucial for top speed.

Although it closely mirrors the solution previously used on the SF-23, the medium-high downforce wing used today by both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton features some micro-aerodynamic changes along the edges.

Specifically, the lateral attachment of the movable flap to the main profile extends forward, creating an additional blowing effect aimed at increasing downforce efficiently through improved airflow management. This solution alters the entire shape of the outer section of the movable profile, now less twisted, as well as the initial part of the endplate, which is now less rounded.

A similar design has also been seen on other teams’ specifications, such as Haas and Mercedes, but also on Ferrari’s own early-season V-shaped wing, where the front flap’s support was extended significantly to generate this very kind of blowing. While retaining last season’s base, Ferrari continues to work on micro-aerodynamics, seeking increasingly efficient solutions.