Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton provides new feedback for SF-25 ahead of Bahrain F1 testing session. Lewis Hamilton’s contribution to accelerating the understanding of the SF-25 has been crucial.

The new Ferrari is an aggressive car. In Formula 1, this approach pays off if managed correctly, as pushing the accelerator while finding innovative solutions can work. All well and good. However, to ensure that theoretical studies translate effectively onto the track, it is necessary to reduce, as much as possible, the famous margin of error. The Maranello team has paid close attention to this factor, also thanks to the update of various tools within the sporting management, such as the wind tunnel floor.

To have a competitive car, a unity of intent is required. The various elements of an F1 car must be designed to work together. The new pull-rod front suspension, for example, introduced to improve the car’s overall aerodynamics, has consequently triggered several adjustments to the rest of the vehicle. Just look at the central part of the SF-25, around the cockpit where the driver sits. This area has been modified to refine aerodynamic principles to the maximum and better manage fluid mass. Additionally, the work on the sidepods is particularly interesting.

If we observe the intake openings, we notice a different lip configuration that, on the 2025 car, extends further to start working on the airflow earlier, directing it more efficiently. The same applies to the floor area that occupies the space of the old bargeboards, where the refined shapes reveal meticulous craftsmanship. The upper part of the sidepods has also been precisely redesigned, as has the area near the rear wing, where the so-called cannon exits are located. Many small innovations to leave nothing to chance.

Ferrari has also confirmed the progress made with the 066/15 power unit. Beyond the aerodynamic details, the Maranello team has worked on improving the performance of the beating heart of the Italian car. In recent days, we have already anticipated this aspect concerning the engine, which for the 2025 Formula 1 racing season has changed its designation: we are talking about the 066/15 power unit. Moreover, five days before the official unveiling, we had already revealed the car’s new livery.

Returning to the topic of the power unit, despite the freeze imposed by the FIA at the end of the 2022 season, we know that a small margin for development still remains. Ferrari head of the Power Unit department Enrico Gualtieri himself confirmed our report, with all the refinements that the department has implemented to make the power unit more efficient and better integrate it into the aerodynamic scheme of the SF-25. This translates into the possibility of achieving better performance, both in qualifying and over the 300-kilometer race distance. It is not a major step forward—after all, the strict limitations imposed by the International Federation prohibit it. However, some expected benefits in terms of performance and fuel consumption have already been partially observed during the Fiorano filming day.

Every small detail adds performance to an F1 car, and for the 2025 season, Ferrari has wisely decided to focus on this. There is also another very interesting detail, which we have also pointed out in some of our previous articles. We are referring to Lewis Hamilton’s feedback when, after getting into the SF-23 at Fiorano, he tested not only Brembo’s brakes but also the Italian power unit. His advice in this regard proved very useful, considering his long tenure at Mercedes, a team that dominated the early turbo-hybrid era.

Lewis Hamilton is the perfect team player. Beyond his larger-than-life persona, humility has always set him apart. We can recall how much effort he put into the Brackley team, taking on the role of a “guinea pig” by testing experimental setups to accelerate problem-solving. He did this knowing that his performance would be inferior to his teammate’s, as he had to experiment with extreme situations to help Mercedes find a way out of its technical impasse. A true champion’s attitude, which he is now bringing to Ferrari.

The seven-time F1 world champion’s vast experience is an incredible asset for Ferrari. The Maranello team is well aware of this, and ever since his first run in the 2023 car, engineers and technicians have prioritized every piece of feedback from the Briton, benefiting greatly from his insights. Last Wednesday, during the second part of the home track test in the SF-25, the Stevenage-born driver provided further crucial information about the car. These impressions, which a driver “feels” at the wheel, are then transferred to the engineers: a skill Lewis Hamilton has honed over time thanks to his exceptional sensitivity behind the wheel.

According to information gathered and reported by various Italian news media outlets, Lewis Hamilton’s contribution to accelerating the understanding of the SF-25 has been crucial. We know that the Italian car hit the track in its Bahrain configuration to test the setup that will be used in Sakhir. This data collection is highly significant and is currently under analysis. Ferrari is processing the data after updating its simulator and, thanks in part to Lewis Hamilton’s support, has successfully validated several parameters. Of course, Charles Leclerc’s valuable input was also instrumental.

— see video above —