Ferrari: loss of downforce and degradation slow down the SF-25 at Shanghai circuit | F1 China GP analysis. China GP: Ferrari’s struggles with the Hard tires .

Ferrari boards the plane back to Italy battered and bruised. A double zero in terms of points scored in the Chinese Grand Prix that hurts even more than the lackluster performance at the Shanghai International Circuit. A pace that failed to live up to the promise of surprising with setup changes. On top of that, the disqualification crushes the morale of the supporters. Without a clear and sudden step forward, very dark times are ahead for the Prancing Horse. Remedies are urgently needed, enough with bar talk that leads nowhere. But while waiting for them, let’s analyze the race from a different perspective.

The first stint clearly highlighted McLaren’s superiority, confirming it as the fastest car on track, not just in the opening laps but throughout the entire Grand Prix. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri immediately displayed an unreachable pace for their rivals, pulling away with ease without even pushing too hard. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari opted for a more conservative approach with the medium tires.

A one-stop strategy was chosen. This was possible due to the SF-25’s good tire durability, showing less degradation compared to others. However, between laps 8 and 11, Charles Leclerc’ pace was affected by his Maranello teammate, which was ahead of him: the British driver was slightly slower, preventing him from fully exploiting his car’s potential.

Additionally, car number 16 suffered aerodynamic damage in Turn 1 due to contact with his teammate, which he believes compromised any hope of victory. The loss of about 20-30 points of downforce penalized the car’s efficiency, impacting front tire degradation and the overall behavior of the SF-25 single-seater, especially on the exit of Turn 13.

This factor made overtaking on the long straight more difficult, as the accumulated understeer prevented optimal acceleration onto the straights. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen struggled with a very tough start to the race. In the opening laps, the RB21 fell significantly behind the race leaders, running about a second per lap slower than the two McLaren cars.

Even in the second part of the race, McLaren maintained its status as the benchmark in terms of pace. The most interesting aspect was that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri primarily ran in management mode, never pushing to the limit. In almost every braking zone, both drivers executed a pronounced lift and coast, a clear indication that the Maranello team was managing fuel consumption and brake temperatures.

This makes their performance even more impressive because, while others were running at a high pace, the two MCL39 cars managed to maintain similar lap times without pushing the cars to the limit. However, it should be noted that Lando Norris’s average lap times were affected by a brake issue in the last three laps of his stint, which forced him to slow down significantly.

Max Verstappen’s Red Bull came back into play on the harder tires: the Dutchman began recovering positions, overtaking both Ferrari cars and reclaiming fourth place. His pace was about three-tenths per lap faster than the SF-25, a significant margin that highlighted the difficulties of the Italian cars in properly managing the the Pirelli hard tires. From lap 35 onwards, Ferrari completely fell out of contention. The Maranello team tried to diversify strategies between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, but any choice seemed pointless at that stage: tire degradation, loss of downforce, and an overall lack of pace made it impossible to fight for the podium. In the end, both Italian cars finished in their starting positions.

Specifically, they finished in fifth and sixth place, swapping positions between the two. Finally, credit must be given to George Russell, who delivered a flawless race. Without mistakes, he managed tire degradation excellently and maintained a consistent pace that secured him his second podium of the season. After two races, Mercedes is the second-best team in the 2025 Formula 1 championship, thanks to its ability to optimize tire usage in race conditions.

Analyzing the telemetry data related to the longitudinal and lateral G-force from Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc’s fastest laps reveals a very interesting detail: Ferrari proves to be much more effective in traction phases, reaching higher acceleration peaks than the MCL39 and doing so more consistently. This is a clear sign of good mechanical efficiency in transferring power to the ground. However, McLaren’s real advantage emerges in high-speed corners and in turns where acceleration is required with the steering wheel still open, such as Turns 9, 12, and 13. In these sections, Lando Norris can get back on the throttle earlier than Charles Leclerc, managing to put down the power from the Mercedes power unit without losing stability. This advantage made a huge difference over the course of a lap.

This is a clear indication of a more aerodynamically balanced car, capable of generating significantly greater vertical load without compromising drivability. As already seen in the qualifying session at the Shanghai circuit, the MCL39 single-seater develops higher lateral G-forces in fast corners, proving to be a more aerodynamically efficient car.