Being the favorites is not always positive in Formula 1. Ferrari is not one of them after the Bahrain pre-season testing session, where the behavior of the SF-25 appeared rather inconsistent. Since then many tests have been conducted in order to improve understanding of the car, alongside several challenges. In the past week, the Italian media had the chance to speak with several engineers working in the paddock. The feeling is that there is a strong balance at the top of the standings in this start of the 2025 Formula 1 championship. In Sakhir, everyone was playing a bit of sandbagging, not just Ferrari. The waiting is almost over, giving way to action. Less than one day, and we’ll be there.
The Australian Grand Prix circuit
Ferrari arrives at the first weekend of the year with a lot of confidence. It couldn’t be otherwise. Albert Park is a street circuit with several interesting corners, especially considering that recent changes have made the layout significantly faster. The track consists of a first sector with two chicanes. The first one is taken at medium-high speed, while the second one is taken at medium-low speed. There are several bumps in certain braking zones, so it will be crucial for the teams to set the ground clearance optimally.
The second sector has a fairly high average speed. It opens with a medium-high speed chicane, followed by turn 8, a long section that is now taken at full throttle, replacing a braking zone that previously broke the rhythm. Then comes another very fast chicane, which requires great directionality, completing the middle sector. In the last part of the Australian circuit, there are several 90° turns, where a good balance between downforce and mechanical grip is critical.
Ferrari has an advantage in curb riding management
The presence of bumps should “benefit” Ferrari, as the Maranello team’s cars in the wing car era use less rigid kinematics compared to direct competitors like McLaren and Red Bull. It is no coincidence that in recent years, the Italian cars have performed very well on this track. We all remember that in the last edition, it was Carlos Sainz’s SF-24 that secured the victory, while Charles Leclerc completed a splendid one-two finish on a memorable Sunday for Ferrari.
Cars like the RB21 or the MCL39 have a higher stiffness window related to their suspension setups. For this reason, they usually work to limit the height variations of the aerodynamic platform more. They therefore prefer generating aerodynamic downforce. However, it will be interesting to understand the level of mechanical grip both cars will have available.
In general, it is believed that Ferrari has a better arrangement of internal components and a stiffness range that allows it to achieve better “curb-riding.” To improve this aspect, a range of parameters are adjusted, making it difficult to achieve a setup that satisfies the drivers. Verstappen, for example, was quite disappointed in this regard with his RB21.
The weapon Ferrari wants to exploit
Ferrari confirmed during the Bahrain pre-season testing session that it has good traction, although it was not fully utilized due to the imperfect cornering of turn 1. A certain level of understeer was noted, which the Maranello team has been working to improve ahead of the Albert Park weekend. The historic team needs to focus on the front suspension setup. The understeer often turned into excessive rotation when the driver accelerated.
This is a condition that should be corrected or at least minimized, as it represents a limitation that already impacts lap times and, as mentioned, reduces performance in traction. The understanding tests on the pull-rod suspension setup, the new front pull-rod, will continue during the first free practice sessions of the Melbourne Grand Prix. The Maranello team is studying how to make the best use of it through the SF-25 car’s setup.
Tire management
Ferrari will need to leverage its lower sensitivity to bumps, but not only that. Cars with high levels of anti-dive like Red Bull, and especially McLaren, could struggle to find temperature in the front axle, a problem that affected the RB19 single-seater in 2023. This was Ferrari’s strength, so it will need to continue managing tire compounds better on this track. It is certain that graining is typically generated on this circuit, especially on the first days of the weekend.
An excessively understeering car would not help reduce this aspect. Pirelli will bring the same tire compounds to Australia as last year. However, it should be noted that the range will be an evolution of the compounds seen in the 2024 Formula 1 championship. The teams have already defined the working windows for some tires but are focusing their work on others, especially the C3. More accurate feedback is still lacking on the C4 and C5 compounds, which will be key in Melbourne.
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