Ferrari has turned the page after the bitter disappointment of the Dutch Grand Prix at the Zandvoort circuit, a weekend that unfortunately ended with a double retirement which cost the Italian team dearly in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were forced to abandon the race, leaving Ferrari without points at a crucial stage of the season. Despite that setback, the team from Maranello is already fully focused on the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Monza, a race that is not only emotionally significant but also technically suited to the characteristics of the SF-25.
The Ferrari engineers and technicians are preparing a specific version of their SF-25 for the Temple of Speed, featuring an extremely low-drag aerodynamic setup, designed around the idea of using wing elements that are almost completely flat and running the car with a minimal ride height. The philosophy is clear: reduce the drag to the bare minimum while allowing the body of the car to work closer to the track surface, in order to maximise ground effect and achieve better aerodynamic efficiency. Ferrari hopes this bold and courageous approach will give Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton the chance to challenge McLaren, which has recently become the reference point in Formula 1 in terms of race pace and consistency.
The Italian Grand Prix will also take place in front of a record-breaking crowd, with more than 300,000 fans expected in the grandstands across the weekend. The organisers have already announced a complete sell-out, which means Ferrari will race in front of a sea of red-clad Tifosi. For the team, the atmosphere and support at Monza have always been unique, and this year will be no different. The fans are desperate to see Ferrari back on the podium and, if possible, fighting for a victory that has eluded them since the beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
During the post-race debriefing at Zandvoort, the focus very quickly shifted away from the disappointment of the double retirement and onto preparations for Monza. Ferrari left the Netherlands with a painful zero in the points tally, but the team remains second in the Constructors’ Championship, still holding a 12-point advantage over Mercedes. That lead is fragile and could disappear in just one race, but the team from Maranello has no intention of backing down. Instead, all attention is now directed at maximising performance at the Italian Grand Prix, where the SF-25 could finally show its full potential.
Nobody within Ferrari has declared themselves the favourite for Monza, and the staff have avoided making bold claims about an outright victory. However, there is a widespread belief inside the team that the SF-25, with its new low-drag setup, could become a serious contender, at least capable of putting pressure on the McLaren cars of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The question is what has changed so suddenly from the sadness and disappointment of Zandvoort to the renewed optimism and hope for Monza? The answer is simple: the circuit itself.
Monza is the ultimate track for speed, the so-called Temple of Speed, with its long straights and heavy braking zones. It is a track that highlights the strengths of cars with high top speed and efficient aerodynamics while hiding the weaknesses of cars that struggle with slower corners and mechanical grip. The Ferrari SF-25, born out of Project 677, has suffered from aerodynamic inefficiencies and balance issues on twisty circuits, but Monza is exactly the type of track where those shortcomings can be disguised. For this reason, many in the paddock believe Monza, together with Baku later in the year, represents Ferrari’s last realistic chance to aim for a first race victory in the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Last year Charles Leclerc had managed to pull off a remarkable performance at Monza, making a one-stop strategy work against McLaren and taking advantage of Ferrari’s superior tyre management. That race remains one of the high points of recent seasons for Ferrari fans. This year, however, McLaren appears even stronger, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri consistently delivering podium finishes and demonstrating excellent race pace. Nevertheless, Ferrari has been meticulous in preparing for the Italian Grand Prix, knowing how important it is both technically and emotionally.
The Monza track surface is very flat, which is particularly favourable for Ferrari’s chosen setup. Running the SF-25 very close to the ground helps generate significant ground-effect downforce through the floor of the car. This means Ferrari can reduce the angle of its wings, effectively lowering drag to achieve maximum efficiency on the long straights. In simple terms, the closer the car runs to the ground, the more stable and efficient it becomes at high speed, which is why Monza’s characteristics are so beneficial for the SF-25.
Observers who followed Ferrari closely will have noticed that during recent Pirelli tyre development tests, first at Fiorano with wet-weather tyres and later at the Hungaroring just after the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break, the Ferrari SF-25 mule car was already running with experimental aerodynamic parts. These included a rear wing with a flat main plane and a very narrow DRS flap with a reduced chord length. Although these tests were officially linked to preparations for the 2026 technical regulations, which will reduce overall downforce by around 20 percent, Ferrari cleverly used the opportunity to trial extreme low-drag solutions.
The technical team led by Loïc Serra has therefore managed to combine two different goals into one programme. While Ferrari contributed to the development of the 2026 tyres, they also collected vital data on how the SF-25 behaves in a low-downforce setup. This information is now proving extremely valuable in preparing for Monza. In fact, it could be the decisive factor that allows Ferrari to challenge McLaren on equal terms at their home Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc, who was the only Ferrari driver involved in the Budapest test, has already had the chance to adapt to the SF-25 in this minimal-downforce configuration. This means he should feel comfortable and ready to push from the very first laps of free practice on Friday. The Monegasque driver has always had a special connection with Monza, and he knows that the support of the Tifosi can provide an extra boost.
Lewis Hamilton, however, has not yet tested the car in this extreme setup. For the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, the Italian Grand Prix weekend will therefore be the first real chance to adapt to driving the SF-25 with such minimal wing angles. It is an unusual configuration, one that is rarely seen during the Formula 1 season, which makes it both a challenge and an opportunity. If the setup works as expected, Ferrari will be fast straight away, and both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton could be in contention.
For Lewis Hamilton, though, there is another problem to deal with. At Monza, he will have to serve a five-place grid penalty as a consequence of failing to respect double yellow flags during the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. It was a costly and avoidable error that occurred before the cars lined up on the grid, and the penalty could significantly compromise his chances of fighting at the very front. For Ferrari, this is a serious setback, because having both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton starting close to the front would have been essential to take the fight to McLaren and to Red Bull.
Max Verstappen, who has been less dominant this year compared to previous seasons but remains a constant threat, will certainly not want to miss the opportunity to fight for victory in Monza. Red Bull, although not at its absolute peak, still has the ability to compete for wins, especially with the Dutchman behind the wheel. This makes Ferrari’s challenge even greater. The Scuderia will need a perfect weekend, both in terms of strategy and execution, to take advantage of the low-drag setup of the SF-25 and fight for a result that the passionate Italian fans have been longing for.
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