F1, an unrecognizable Ferrari at Imola: out at the Q2 cut and forced to start from the sixth row for the race. The SF-25 displayed all its problems. Beyond understeer, the new never-used C6 compound further complicated matters. A variable that made the SF-25’s unpredictability and imbalance even more evident, unable to hit the right operating window and put everything together on the decisive lap.
SF-25 insufficient in medium-speed corners
Numerically, the most challenging corners for the SF-25 car are those at intermediate speeds. These bends, the most common at Imola, require a car capable of attacking the curb without being pushed away. A characteristic the Rossa has but couldn’t use, finding itself forced to approach the curbs more cautiously. Additionally, we saw a car lacking agility in direction changes.
The limit does not come from a mechanical inability to manage load transfer effectively. We’re talking about a front end tending towards understeer, based on relatively low stiffnesses, which amplified the inability to heat the tyres. As shown in the graph, the Ferrari drivers are competitive in the slow corners but lose a lot at Piratella, where the SF-25’s problems emerge.
This choice, the result of the engineers’ work that compromised qualifying, might prove useful for tyre management in the race. A bitter day also for Kimi Antonelli, who at his home race failed to reach Q3. Like the Italian team, the Soft tyre didn’t work as expected for him, due to an imperfect preparation lap that penalized him especially in the fastest part of the track.
McLaren confirms itself as the generally strongest car in corners, with Lando Norris overall faster than his teammate but less confident. Oscar Piastri made the difference at Tamburello and Villeneuve, maintaining a higher average speed. Verstappen is always there. For him too, the critical point was Piratella, where the F1 world champion lost 12 km/h, losing pole position.
More hybrid in traction, but slower car on the straight
In terms of top speed, drivers’ speeds on the straight are similar. However, Ferrari is not among the fastest cars overall, despite Leclerc being the best before braking at Rivazza. The Rossa did not fully exploit the hybrid system’s assistance on the straight. Hamilton, for example, has the highest speed at the start of the DRS zone but is not the fastest at the braking point.
A discrepancy due to a main factor: greater use of the hybrid system on corner exit, which favored the internal combustion engine’s push in traction but consequently left little margin for recharging for the following straights. Among the slowest drivers on the straight is Oscar Piastri, last in this specific ranking, due to an English car with higher aerodynamic load than usual.
The Woking engineers chose a setup oriented towards drivability in corners to help the drivers better manage tyres in the race. Curious is the case of Russell, who is among the fastest on average but enters the DRS zone at a much lower speed than others. The Englishman had to give way to Stroll while going through Rivazza 2, starting the lap almost from a standstill.
Because of this, he lost 117 thousandths compared to his personal best, losing the chance to fight for pole with yellow tyres. For Ferrari, the nightmares feared before the weekend materialize: a good race pace but a disaster in qualifying. Today, dirty air will compromise thermal management, making overtaking even more difficult. The Rossa has no choice but to try the strategy card if possible.
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