Ferrari SF-25 runs 3 mm higher than expected, losing 20 downforce points: important updates in Bahrain

Ferrari SF-25 runs 3 mm higher than expected, losing 20 downforce points: important updates in Bahrain. Ferrari Faces 3 mm Higher Ride Height, Introducing Key Updates in Bahrain.

Not just a new floor in Sakhir
Aside from Lewis Hamilton’s highlight in the Sprint in China, where he won after securing pole position in the Sprint Qualifying, Ferrari in the first three races of the season not only didn’t make it to the podium but didn’t even come close. Charles Leclerc, in fact, finished fourth in Japan, 16 seconds behind Max Verstappen, who blocked the McLaren MCL39 cars, preventing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from showcasing the full potential of the best car on the grid at the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Already in the Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari’s drivers and team principal Frederic Vasseur did not hide the fact that the SF-25 had to be raised off the ground to avoid wear issues with the floor, a necessity that obviously cost performance and still didn’t prevent the disqualification of Lewis Hamilton’s car at the end of the Chinese Grand Prix.

The autoracer.it outlet reported the details of Ferrari’s unexpected ground clearance issue and what updates will be introduced in Bahrain this weekend. According to what has leaked, the SF-25 is running 3 millimeters higher than expected, resulting in a loss of downforce estimated at 20 points. Without this forced and unplanned “raising,” Ferrari would still not be on par with McLaren, but it would certainly be more competitive. The updates to be introduced in Sakhir were decided at the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season with purely performance goals aimed at stabilizing the peak downforce. In Bahrain, a revised floor will arrive with changes to the venturi channels and the diffuser. Additionally, there will be modifications to the rear wing’s single-pylon and a new rear brake cooling intake.

Since Dino Beganovic will replace Charles Leclerc in Bahrain’s FP1, it is expected that Lewis Hamilton will be the one to drive the updated SF-25, while the Swedish driver will run the standard version to make an initial comparison between the behavior of the two cars. Introducing a new floor is always a delicate operation because it changes the car’s aerodynamic “map,” and this new component was decided at the start of the season with the goal of making the SF-25 more predictable and consistent by “widening” the constant downforce window.