Scuderia Ferrari got off to a solid and promising start during the 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix weekend held at the legendary Silverstone Circuit. In the second free practice session on Friday, both drivers of the Italian side secured encouraging results, finishing the session in second and third place, respectively, and were separated by a minimal gap of just 0.079 seconds. Charles Leclerc, at the wheel of the number 16 Ferrari SF-25, ended the session 0.222 seconds behind McLaren Formula 1 Team driver Lando Norris, who appeared completely at ease and perfectly in tune with his McLaren MCL39 car on home soil and is clearly considered one of the main favourites for a strong result over the course of the entire weekend. Lewis Hamilton encountered a bit more difficulty, hindered by significant traffic during his laps, which prevented him from optimizing his qualifying simulation time due to compromised handling and car balance.
Ferrari’s main struggle lies in Turn 4, but overall the fast-flowing and high-speed layout of the Silverstone Circuit appears to suit the technical characteristics of the Ferrari SF-25. The updated and revised floor of the Italian car is proving to be effective and is delivering performance improvements. Out of the 18 corners that make up the British track, the vast majority are high-speed turns that demand a rigid suspension setup. In addition, the smooth track surface, free of major bumps or surface irregularities, along with the flat and forgiving kerbs, allows Ferrari engineers to run the car at a lower ride height without suffering excessive plank wear. This is a considerable advantage for the SF-25, allowing the team to push aerodynamic performance to higher levels.
This favourable track environment enables the Ferrari SF-25 to adopt more optimal and aggressive ride heights, which in turn activates the underfloor Venturi channels more efficiently. This helps maximize the ground effect and allows the car to generate consistent and stable aerodynamic downforce in a clean and uninterrupted manner. However, telemetry comparisons between Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s British driver Lando Norris reveal a crucial weakness for Ferrari: the entire time deficit between the two drivers largely originates from Turn 4, a problematic and critical point for the SF-25 ever since the very first free practice session of the British Grand Prix weekend.
In response to this issue, the technical team from Maranello made adjustments to the rear axle of the Ferrari SF-25 in an attempt to improve the overall stability and balance of the car. Yet Charles Leclerc continued to struggle in that sector, particularly when approaching the corner entry phase. The Monegasque driver was unable to position the car precisely on the ideal racing line due to significant and persistent understeer. When attempting to reapply the throttle at mid-corner, the rear of the SF-25 loses mechanical grip, which triggers unwanted oversteer. This imbalance results in Charles Leclerc having to make two corrective inputs on the steering wheel.
He first needs to manage the yaw movement of the car and then, in order to regain traction on corner exit, he must counter the rear-end instability. This issue leads to a considerable and measurable loss of top-end speed. In fact, both Scuderia Ferrari drivers were among the worst performers on the entire Formula 1 grid when it comes to their performance in Turn 4, with a top-speed deficit of 8 kilometers per hour compared to Lando Norris. The root cause of this weakness can be traced back to the setup of the rear suspension and rear axle: it must be sufficiently rigid to maintain aerodynamic platform stability at high speeds, but also compliant and flexible enough to maintain mechanical grip and traction in the slower sections of the circuit.
If the rear suspension setup is too stiff, this results in increased wheel slip and tire slippage, which in turn reduces the vehicle’s ability to progressively transfer engine power to the track surface. Additionally, the Pirelli tires used by Charles Leclerc were not in their optimal operating window at the time, as they were not activated or heated correctly, further limiting performance. Despite this, the number 16 Ferrari performed strongly in the second sector of the circuit, where Charles Leclerc recorded the best mini-sector time of the entire session. This middle portion of the Silverstone track is composed exclusively of high-speed corners that require maximum aerodynamic efficiency and driver confidence.
Starting with the legendary Copse corner, which Charles Leclerc impressively took flat-out without lifting off the throttle—unlike Lando Norris, who lifted his foot off the accelerator pedal by 45 percent—he then maintained that momentum into the famous and technical sequence of Maggots, Becketts, and Chapel. It is precisely in this iconic series of rapid left-right transitions, stretching from Turn 10 to Turn 14, that Charles Leclerc managed to gain 0.158 seconds on Lando Norris. The average speed in this sector exceeds 250 kilometers per hour, and the sequence generates lateral forces up to 6G, which transmit immense energy into the Pirelli tires.
Charles Leclerc tackled this segment superbly, with a higher cornering speed in Turn 13 by 5 kilometers per hour. More importantly, based on the telemetry data we can see that he was able to apply full throttle several meters earlier than Lando Norris on the exit of Turn 14, which leads onto the long back straight. The key to this performance lies in having a stiffer front axle and front suspension setup to maintain precise control and maximum accuracy during high-speed direction changes. The front end of the car must remain sharp, agile, and highly responsive, enabling the driver to commit fully to every line without the need for steering corrections.
Charles Leclerc also showed excellent confidence and strong performance in Turn 15—known as Stowe—which is approached at approximately 242 kilometers per hour. The Monegasque driver braked at exactly the same point as Lando Norris, but executed a more aggressive and refined modulation of the braking pressure during corner entry. This allowed him to decelerate the SF-25 more effectively and return to full throttle slightly earlier. Although the gain in this corner was marginal, it was enough for Charles Leclerc to slightly reduce the gap to the British McLaren driver.
Telemetry data also showed that Charles Leclerc’s braking in Turn 16, which is the initial part of the Club section, that forms the final complex of the circuit, was in fact very effective. The driver from Monaco managed to gain 0.064 seconds in this braking zone alone. However, he lost this advantage again on corner exit, where, just as in Turn 4, the rear tires began to slip under acceleration, forcing him to make another minor correction to maintain control.
The Ferrari SF-25 single-seater continues to show impressive competitiveness and promising pace at Silverstone, especially in the high-speed sectors of the track where the setup, aerodynamic balance, and driver confidence all come together to allow Charles Leclerc to fully exploit the car’s potential. However, if the Ferrari engineers and technicians aim to realistically challenge the McLaren Formula 1 Team for a place on the front row of the grid and potentially fight for pole position, the key will be to solve those small but critical issues in the few slower corners of the British Grand Prix circuit. Achieving the right balance and setup compromise between high-speed efficiency and low-speed mechanical grip remains absolutely essential.
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