Ferrari starts well. The Las Vegas GP, round number 22 of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship, is where the team from Maranello shows solid form. The Nevada track suits the SF-25 and, at least so far, the work carried out by the Maranello engineers has appeared more than positive. A further step in the setup is needed, but all the conditions to perform at the highest level are already in place. Ferrari has worked well, but something more is still required to bring the SF-25 to the top.
The second free practice session at the circuit in the United States confirmed what had been seen in the first session: the team from Maranello arrives at the Nevada street track with an SF-25 that is very well balanced, stable during load transfers and also quite effective. However, there is still work to do, because the base setup is good but not yet optimal. As mentioned, one more step is needed to fight at the front.
One of the main keys will be tyre management, especially the Soft compound in qualifying, a crucial factor on a circuit characterised by long straights, heavy braking zones and cornering phases that are highly sensitive to the temperature of the front axle. In FP2 Charles Leclerc finished in third place, but the most significant detail is that the Monegasque driver set his best reference time on the Medium tyre.
He did so finishing only +0.161s from the best time of Lando Norris, who in contrast achieved his lap time on the Red-banded Pirelli tyres. A rather small delta between the two, which therefore shows good margins for improvement for the Italian car once a lap is completed cleanly with the Soft tyre. This scenario did not materialise due to the transmission issue suffered by car number 16 in the final stint.
Ferrari shows very good balance, which can still be improved. In the first session, Ferrari had already shown a solid base: the SF-25 proved to be well balanced, with a lot of work focused on corner entry and especially on the thermal management of the tyres, a very critical aspect in Las Vegas. It is extremely important to carefully manage the activation of the front axle, which tends to cool down on the long straights, generating thermal asynchrony between the front and rear.
In the evening session, which is more representative ahead of qualifying and the race, Charles immediately showed excellent feeling with the Medium tyre. The SF-25 displayed an almost optimal balance, with a much smaller lack of rotation compared to the past. This situation obviously makes handling much easier and allows the car to maximise performance throughout the entire lap.
The Ferrari drivers managed to reach the apex of the corners with ease, a sign of a front end that is finally more consistent in its behaviour. However, telemetry shows that in some parts of the track this still remains a limitation. Between turn 7 and turn 9 Leclerc loses 0.189s, a very slow section (around 90 km/h) where it is necessary to have a very precise front end capable of generating mechanical grip.
Compared to McLaren, however, the Italian car showed an advantage in pure traction with the Medium compound, managing to put down the power of the 067/15 Power Unit in a more progressive and stable manner. This advantage was extremely important especially on the exit of turn 12, the bend that leads into the long high-speed section, where being able to get on the throttle a few metres earlier is crucial.
The importance of not making mistakes
In conclusion, the very positive feelings can only be strongly reiterated. The SF-25 on the Soft tyre can still gain a few tenths, especially in the first sector, where the softer compound naturally reaches its temperature window more quickly. For the rest, the Ferrari appears precise on turn-in, stable under the most demanding braking phases and convincing in traction.
Tomorrow’s work will focus on several factors. Without doubt, the aim is to refine corner entry in the slower sections, improve behaviour in the second sector and prepare the most effective possible transition to the Soft tyre, once again the most delicate element to maximise for qualifying. The prerequisites are there: it is a matter of putting together a perfect execution.
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