The Ferrari SF-25 heads into the final weekend of the season. After a challenging 2025 campaign with a car that often failed to meet expectations, the Italian team aims to finish on a high note in Abu Dhabi. The goal is to secure a strong result and conclude the season with dignity. Here’s what happened during the first practice session.
Ferrari demonstrates solid baseline with Hard tires
Both Leclercs were on track, with Hamilton giving his seat to Arthur for FP1. The two brothers started work on a set of Hard tires, immediately pushing to assess whether the baseline setup chosen by the team was heading in the right direction. Thanks to a less extreme track layout compared to Lusail, the Ferrari displayed a more stable behavior than in Qatar.
After the initial laps, the usual feedback from the race engineer arrived, suggesting adjustments to engine maps before another run. While finding the perfect racing line remained challenging, the car’s handling already appeared much improved compared to the Qatar struggles. Minor inconsistencies in direction changes and some difficulty in the first sector remained, where the high-speed curve sequence was not yet fully optimized.
Charles requested an adjustment to the front wing, adding four clicks for a more stable front end under braking. A quick pit stop allowed him to return to track, while Arthur completed a few additional laps to familiarize himself with the SF-25. Meanwhile, engineer Bryan Bozzi suggested work on minimum speed through turn 7, the corner leading to the second straight.
Even Arthur saw differential adjustments to make rotation smoother and more progressive. The change seemed effective, giving the car slightly more composure. After several laps, the team returned the car to the garage to move on to the next program stage, deciding whether to continue on Hard tires or switch to a different compound.
SF-25 shows strong grip: Soft tires improve the third sector
Arthur continued his initial work on Hard tires, while Charles returned to track on Softs, giving the team a clearer picture of the car’s behavior with higher grip. Leclerc struggled particularly in the sequence from turn 5 to 9, where the performance gap to McLaren was immediately evident.
The final sector initially remained problematic, but with the softer compound Charles improved overall. Turn 1 entry was convincing, although apexing turn 5 continued to be tricky. Traction and corner 9 showed better consistency, and the car’s balance appeared uniform in the final sector.
Understeer remains a structural limitation, though small adjustments are used to mask it. Charles completed a slow double lap to cool the tires, while Arthur continued gaining confidence with the car. Charles then improved his lap by around 0.05 seconds before returning to the pits.
SF-25 proves stable under high fuel load
After a brief pause, both Ferraris returned to track on Red Soft tires. Arthur began a short run with the Softs, focusing on familiarization rather than lap times, while Charles started a short race-pace simulation with a heavier fuel load.
The car displayed generally solid handling, though Charles experienced a minor spin in the early part of sector two. He recovered quickly and continued his run, noting some tire flat-spotting via radio. Returning to the pits, he switched back to Hards and resumed work on high-fuel programs.
Two key takeaways from FP1: Abu Dhabi tends to highlight Ferrari’s strengths, and the team arrives with a well-defined initial setup plan. The session provided a promising start, which now needs to be backed by a consistent evolution through the weekend.
Leave a Reply