Ferrari is preparing to restart its campaign in the very place where it has historically struggled and rarely achieved success in Formula 1. After the summer break, the Maranello-based team is seeking clear answers and valuable insights at Zandvoort. Since the Dutch Grand Prix returned to the Formula 1 calendar, the Zandvoort circuit has proven to be notoriously challenging for Ferrari. Over the years, the Dutch track has provided limited satisfaction for the Italian side, often exposing weaknesses in car performance, setup adaptability, and driver comfort levels. Traditionally, the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, which is held in the second half of the season, has tended to favor teams whose cars are on a clear upward development trajectory and able to capitalize on mid-season improvements. In 2024, for instance, McLaren dominated the event, showcasing a superior package even though Ferrari’s SF-24 had demonstrated strong form in the final part of the season, particularly in the last races where the team showed glimpses of competitiveness against top rivals.
What is the current potential of the SF-25?
The primary question among analysts, engineers, and fans alike revolves around the current potential and underlying performance of the SF-25, known within Maranello as project 677. This car has demonstrated a true Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality across race weekends, most notably during the Hungarian Grand Prix, where it alternated between competitive flashes and puzzling struggles. After a significant and carefully engineered update to the rear suspension, the SF-25 could experience a substantial and noticeable performance improvement in terms of lap times, cornering stability, and overall mechanical balance. On the other hand, it could also continue to function as a development laboratory, providing data and insights without necessarily delivering immediate competitive gains until the end of the 2025 season. For the sake of intellectual honesty and technical transparency, it is important to underline that upgrades, even significant ones, are never a guaranteed path to a direct performance improvement. Each modification must integrate harmoniously with the existing package, otherwise the gains may be limited or even counterproductive.
A case in point is Mercedes, which recently made the difficult decision to revert to its previous rear push-rod suspension setup after disappointing results with a new configuration. It was a challenging but necessary choice to regain competitive balance and put the team back on track. For Ferrari, however, feedback from engineers and drivers has been markedly more encouraging. Between the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps and the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, there were clear signs of progress in the car’s adaptability and setup capabilities—an important and promising signal that Maranello is moving in the right direction in terms of car development and understanding its strengths and weaknesses.
When discussing the new suspension, it is important to note that it is primarily a corrective measure rather than a revolutionary change. It provides engineers with greater flexibility in defining ride heights, adjusting mechanical grip, and expanding the aerodynamic map to better balance the car under varying conditions. The engineers in Maranello are confident that this investment in the suspension system will provide valuable insights and knowledge that can later be applied to the next technical project, known as project 678, alongside the improvements made to the braking system. By understanding the behavior of the SF-25 under real race conditions, Ferrari can extract technical learnings that will be critical for the long-term competitiveness of the team, ensuring that future cars are faster, more reliable, and better suited to the demands of a full Formula 1 season.
F1, the Zandvoort challenge
The circuit that unfolds along the Dutch coastline has historically been unkind to Ferrari, providing very limited satisfaction in terms of race results or championship points. Over the years, the team has often arrived at Zandvoort with car updates frozen, or with cars hampered by unsuccessful or poorly integrated upgrades that failed to deliver on track. This year, however, the challenge appears even more complex than in previous seasons. One of the reasons for this increased difficulty is that the team, led by French team principal Frederic Vasseur, has expressed a degree of uncertainty regarding the precise causes of some of the recent performance inconsistencies.
Between the Belgian Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix, Frederic Vasseur did not appear to fully understand or communicate the underlying reasons behind the struggles experienced by car number 16, driven by Charles Leclerc. The SF-25 has demonstrated flashes of competitive performance, only to experience noticeable drops in pace or stability during the final third of races. The rumored “chassis problem,” often discussed in media and technical circles, has failed to convince engineers, drivers, or fans. Instead, the challenges appear to be linked to issues with power unit pressures, thermal management, and related technical headaches, alongside fuel consumption factors that impacted performance over long stints.
As paradoxical as it may seem, nothing is more challenging for a Formula 1 team than not fully understanding the reasons behind its own car’s performance, even when certain segments of a race show promising speed. Zandvoort is widely considered a highly reliable benchmark for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of Ferrari’s suspension system. The circuit’s unique geometry includes a variety of corners, ranging from medium-speed bends to slower, tighter turns. This combination favors cars with strong mechanical grip, effective suspension compliance, and finely tuned balance between front and rear stability.
The moment of truth is approaching
The configuration of Zandvoort requires a medium-to-high downforce setup, which is a necessary compromise given the mix of corner types present on the track. Additionally, approximately 68 percent of the lap involves the throttle being held open, which places significant demand on the engine, power unit cooling systems, and tire management strategies. The Dutch circuit features unusually long-radius corners that generate elevated G-forces, repeatedly stressing the front tires—a hallmark characteristic of circuits that are front-limited in terms of grip.
Zandvoort is one of those classic circuits where the strength of the technical package often outweighs driver skill alone. If Charles Leclerc’s performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix was almost miraculous under difficult circumstances, the Dutch Grand Prix will provide an even more revealing test of Ferrari’s progress and technical development. Meanwhile, the team has concentrated its efforts on addressing the car’s lack of rotation in corners while maintaining careful attention to tire management strategies. Proper handling of tire wear and temperature is crucial to extracting consistent performance across stints, especially on a track that places unusual demands on the front tires and mechanical grip.
Over the coming days at the Dutch Grand Prix, fans and analysts alike will gain a clearer understanding of the SF-25’s true potential. The track will expose both strengths and weaknesses, providing crucial information on the car’s adaptability, balance, and overall competitiveness. With Charles Leclerc at the wheel and teammate Lewis Hamilton delivering his feedback, Ferrari is determined to extract every possible advantage from the SF-25’s current configuration. The combination of real-world race conditions, team strategy, and driver skill will ultimately determine whether Maranello can achieve better results in the second half of the 2025 season, especially at a circuit that has historically been a challenging environment for the team.
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