Ferrari Pin Hopes on Key Rear Suspension Upgrade After Lewis Hamilton Falls Short at Silverstone
Scuderia Ferrari have been intensifying their car development efforts throughout recent weeks as the Italian racing team works tirelessly to close the ever-growing performance gap to McLaren in the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship. With the season now well past its halfway point, the Maranello-based outfit remains the only team within the current top four of the Constructors’ Championship standings that has yet to secure a Grand Prix race victory. Despite high expectations set before the season began, Scuderia Ferrari have so far struggled to convert potential into concrete race results—and their lack of winning pace has become increasingly difficult to ignore for fans, media, and rivals alike.
Although seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton provided a brief moment of hope with his unexpected Sprint Race victory during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend earlier this season, that rare moment of celebration was quickly overshadowed by the double disqualification that followed on the Sunday, when both Lewis Hamilton and his Scuderia Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc were excluded from the main race due to a technical infringement. Since that significant setback, the team has found itself stuck in the midfield mix—consistently limited to fighting for finishing positions ranging between third and sixth at most Formula 1 circuits. The current SF-25 simply does not possess the overall performance package required to challenge dominant teams such as Red Bull Racing and McLaren on a regular basis.
One of the most persistent and pressing issues preventing Ferrari from unlocking their full potential involves Lewis Hamilton’s ongoing lack of trust in a crucial area of the SF-25’s handling characteristics. The British driver has reportedly been unable to build full confidence in the behavior of Ferrari’s 2025 car during high-speed corners—a weakness that was particularly visible at the 2025 British Grand Prix, held at Silverstone Circuit. This area of instability has hampered Hamilton’s ability to extract maximum performance from the car, especially on fast-flowing tracks where aerodynamic balance and rear-end stability are critical to performance.
Lewis Hamilton, who has not stood on the podium once during the opening 12 rounds of the 2025 season, has privately communicated his dissatisfaction with what he considers to be a fundamental flaw in the car’s setup. Following the British Grand Prix weekend, the veteran British driver acknowledged that multiple opportunities to secure a better result had slipped away due to the car’s limitations in key areas of performance, particularly at high speeds and during critical strategy moments. His disappointment was only intensified by Ferrari’s continued inability to challenge for top-three finishes in recent events, despite upgrades and internal pressure to improve results.
In response to these concerns, Scuderia Ferrari are preparing a technical solution aimed specifically at addressing Lewis Hamilton’s complaints. According to a report published by the Italian-language edition of Motorsport.com, the team is planning to introduce a redesigned rear suspension at the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. This new suspension configuration is expected to offer a performance gain of approximately one-tenth of a second per lap—an important improvement in a season where even the smallest margins have proven decisive in qualifying and race outcomes.
That seemingly small but valuable gain of 0.1 seconds could have made a significant difference at Silverstone. During qualifying for the British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton narrowly missed out on matching the lap time set by Oscar Piastri, who secured second place on the starting grid for McLaren. With the benefit of the new rear suspension system, Hamilton could have outqualified both McLaren drivers—Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris—which would have placed him in a much stronger position for race day, possibly even allowing him to contend for a podium finish in front of his home crowd.
Charles Leclerc was quick to recognize Lewis Hamilton’s efforts during the Silverstone weekend. The Monegasque driver reportedly remarked that Lewis Hamilton was the only real positive for the team during the British Grand Prix—a weekend otherwise filled with underperformance and strategic missteps. As the second half of the 2025 Formula 1 season gets underway, the Maranello-based team is determined to defend its position in the Constructors’ Championship, particularly the battle for second place against McLaren and Mercedes. The rear suspension upgrade could play a pivotal role in this fight and may prove essential in helping Ferrari retain momentum.
Beyond mechanical limitations, Lewis Hamilton’s performance in Silverstone qualifying demonstrated just how hard he is pushing to deliver strong results for Ferrari and to satisfy the passionate British fans who filled the grandstands. During the final segment of qualifying (Q3), the British driver took an aggressive approach through the final sector of the lap. In an effort to gain time, he opted for a wider entry line into the Vale corner—an audacious move that caused him to run slightly off track and onto the grass. That moment ultimately cost him the tenth of a second he so desperately needed, the very margin that might have put him ahead of both McLaren cars on the starting grid.
Although that tenth of a second may not have been enough to challenge reigning World Champion Max Verstappen for pole position, a front-row start alongside the Red Bull Racing driver would have thrilled the Silverstone crowd and boosted the Briton’s morale considerably. According to Sky Sports F1 commentator and former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle, Lewis Hamilton’s attempted move in qualifying was bordering on the impossible and ultimately saw him push beyond the limit of what the SF-25 was capable of delivering under those specific conditions.
Scuderia Ferrari’s decision to implement the rear suspension upgrade at Spa-Francorchamps could mark a critical turning point in the Italian team’s 2025 campaign. Not only does this update aim to directly resolve the very issues raised by Lewis Hamilton, but it also signals Ferrari’s broader intent to fight back against McLaren’s recent surge in form and reclaim competitiveness at the sharp end of the grid. Whether this technical development will be enough to transform Ferrari into genuine race-winning contenders remains to be seen—but what is certain is that the team is not backing down from the challenges of the 2025 season.
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