Ferrari heads to Abu Dhabi aiming to close out 2025 on a high note while preparing for the future, and the team has already passed the crash test for the 2026 season. The Qatar Grand Prix highlighted an SF-25 lacking pace: Charles Leclerc finished eighth, while Lewis Hamilton ended up twelfth, confirming a challenging end to the championship. Yet in Maranello, attention is already on 2026, as Ferrari has successfully passed the crash test for the new season.
At Yas Marina, the team hopes to regain some competitiveness. Internal simulations are not as negative as those predicting the Lusail disaster, and the SF-25 is expected to perform better on the Abu Dhabi track.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur explained the situation bluntly. Aerodynamic development of the SF-25 was halted at the end of April, with wind tunnel work redirected to the emerging Ferrari 678, the car designed to tackle the 2026 regulatory changes. This decision had an immediate impact on the current season: the SF-25 did not receive updates capable of reversing the trend of recent months. Fred Vasseur admitted that it was a strategic choice to focus resources on the future.
Ferrari passes the 2026 crash test
The technical department led by Loic Serra continued to work on the current car. The rear suspension was redesigned, but mechanical updates did not deliver the expected performance boost. The SF-25’s results remained inconsistent, as recent races clearly showed.
For some time, Ferrari has shifted focus to the new regulatory cycle. It is therefore unsurprising that the team has already completed the FIA homologation crash tests for the chassis at the CSI facility in Bollate. As reported by the Motorsport website, Ferrari has obtained FIA approval for the chassis even before the end of the 2025 season. This is a clear signal: the team wants to enter 2026 with an advanced project and without delays.
The winter break will be very short. The 2026 cars will debut in Barcelona testing from January 26 to 30, behind closed doors for the media. The early schedule confirms the need to be fully prepared well in advance.
Ferrari acted in a timely manner, accelerating chassis development and completing homologation. Resources and personnel have already been concentrated on the future car. The 2025 Formula 1 season ends with few satisfactions, making Abu Dhabi the final chance to breathe. But the real horizon for Maranello is 2026.
What is an F1 crash test?
The crash test is a mandatory procedure that every new Formula 1 car must pass to obtain FIA homologation. It consists of a series of stringent checks evaluating the chassis, particularly the survival cell, under controlled impacts and loads. All tests are conducted exclusively in FIA-approved facilities and always under the supervision of an appointed delegate overseeing every stage of the process.
During the tests, the survival cell is equipped with an aluminum plate at the nose area and a dummy weighing at least 75 kg to replicate the car’s real behavior. Frontal impacts occur at a speed of approximately 15 m/s, and the chassis must remain intact without structural damage, with deceleration values within imposed limits. In addition to frontal tests, rollover protection structures are tested, with the roll bar required to withstand loads of up to 14 tons with minimal deformation.
Another key aspect is lateral impact testing, conducted using a chassis mock-up equipped with carbon fiber anti-intrusion cones. These structures must endure high loads without permanent deformation and without allowing penetration into the survival cell. Only after passing all these tests is the chassis deemed fit to race in the following season.
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