During the latest episode of Sky Race Anatomy, a program focused on in-depth technical analysis of Formula 1 races, attention turned to the British Grand Prix and, in particular, to Ferrari’s continued struggles. Former Ferrari engineer and technical expert Luigi Mazzola delivered a detailed breakdown of the handling issues plaguing the Scuderia Ferrari SF-25, the car currently driven by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship.
Luigi Mazzola’s technical analysis
In his evaluation, Luigi Mazzola identified two primary and recurring weaknesses in the Ferrari SF-25 that directly impact its drivability and consistency across a race weekend. According to Mazzola, these issues make the SF-25 a car that is extremely unpredictable for the drivers, both during corner entry and corner exit.
“The Ferrari has two major problems,” Luigi Mazzola explained. “The first is that it is what we call a ‘peaky’ car—this means the car is sharply front-loaded in terms of grip when entering a corner. The second issue is that it is ‘snappy’, referring to how unstable the rear end becomes under acceleration when exiting a turn.”
Luigi Mazzola continued by clarifying the term ‘peaky’ through a historical lens: “The first time I encountered a car with this characteristic was in 1991. It’s a car that gains a lot of front-end load during braking because it loses too much rear-end grip. That creates an imbalance. As a result, the driver never really knows exactly when or how hard to brake in order to optimize performance.”
He then shifted his focus to the exit phase of a corner, describing what makes the SF-25 ‘snappy’: “When you accelerate out of the corner, the load shifts significantly to the outer rear wheel—the one responsible for traction. But if the car doesn’t have enough downforce on the rear axle in that moment, the rear starts sliding out, and the car becomes difficult to control.”
The consequences for Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Because of these two opposing and unpredictable behaviors—instability both at the beginning and the end of a corner—Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are often left struggling to find confidence in the car. Luigi Mazzola emphasized that this inconsistency seriously hampers performance and limits their ability to extract the full potential of the SF-25.
“These two phases—corner entry and corner exit—are where the unpredictability of the SF-25 really shows itself,” said Luigi Mazzola. “This then results in another unwanted handling characteristic: understeer during the mid-corner phase. That’s when the front end doesn’t respond precisely to the driver’s steering input, causing delays and poor rotation.”
Luigi Mazzola concluded his technical debrief with a firm statement: “This kind of overall behavior paints a clear picture—this is a textbook example of a car that lacks driveability.”
His comments highlight why Ferrari’s SF-25 continues to fall short in terms of race consistency and why even elite drivers like Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are struggling to tame it.
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