Scuderia Ferrari started the weekend of the 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit in a very promising way, positioning itself at the top of the time sheets and engaging in a competitive battle with McLaren. Formula 1 has a tendency to defy expectations, and yesterday was a perfect example of that unpredictability. The new aerodynamic upgrades introduced on the floor of the Ferrari SF-25 single-seater appeared to have a more significant and positive impact at Silverstone compared to the previous Grand Prix held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.
The Ferrari SF-25 demonstrated good competitiveness both in terms of one-lap qualifying pace and long-run performance consistency over a race stint. However, the Italian team from Maranello continues to deal with a recurring issue: the car suffers from understeer, particularly in the more technical and twisty sections of the British track layout.
During the race simulations in the second free practice session, seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton experienced excessive tyre degradation in comparison to his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who instead managed to complete a longer stint while maintaining a cleaner and more stable pace.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen unexpectedly recorded the fastest average race pace during the long-run simulations in Free Practice 2. His average lap time was one-tenth of a second quicker than that of Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
Both Ferrari drivers began their high-fuel simulation runs with laps that were perhaps overly aggressive, registering times around the 1.30.5 mark. This initial push immediately stressed the tyres, accelerating the degradation process. The same approach particularly affected Lewis Hamilton, who suffered a considerable drop in performance starting from the third lap of his run.
On average, the pace of Lewis Hamilton was approximately five-tenths of a second slower than that of Max Verstappen. This forced the British driver to return to the pits earlier than planned. After completing a pit stop, Lewis Hamilton fitted a set of soft compound tyres and managed to complete four additional laps, posting an average lap time of 1.32.2. He began this second stint with a conservative approach, opening with a lap of 1.32.9 before progressively improving to 1:31.8 on his final lap.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc was able to control the performance drop of his tyre compounds more effectively. The Ferrari driver avoided major degradation and successfully prevented the development of graining, which can significantly compromise traction and cornering performance over long stints.
It is also important to mention a key detail in Max Verstappen’s run. Despite the fact that the timing data crowned him as the fastest driver with a heavy fuel load, the Dutchman strategically took a lap midway through his stint to allow the tyres to cool down. This tyre management decision played a vital role in preserving the performance level of his Pirelli compounds and is not a trivial advantage. In the final part of his simulation, the RB20 single-seater from Red Bull Racing, based in Milton Keynes, began to show signs of front-end limitation, likely originating from the front axle—possibly due to either mechanical setup choices or thermal stress.
On the other hand, Charles Leclerc was able to control graining during final laps of the stint. In terms of tyre wear and degradation, the data clearly shows how Lewis Hamilton suffered from an immediate drop-off in performance, losing around eight-tenths of a second per lap. Speaking over team radio, the Ferrari driver reported braking instability, attributing the problem to the tyre compounds no longer operating within their optimal thermal range.
This degradation issue also limited Lewis Hamilton in corner exit phases, where he had to exercise greater control to manage a car that had become increasingly oversteering.
Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, also backed off slightly after an aggressive first lap. The driver from Monte Carlo then managed the tyre drop-off from laps three to five, working to clean up and eliminate the early signs of graining that had started to appear on the tyre surface. By adopting a more conservative driving style over these three laps, Charles Leclerc was able to stabilise his pace and maintain consistent lap times in the second part of the run. However, his times remained slightly slower than those recorded by Max Verstappen and by both McLaren Racing drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Still, when evaluating average lap times, the McLaren drivers—despite their consistency and ability to maintain competitive pace—were slightly slower than Charles Leclerc. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri showed impressive pace consistency during their simulations. This indicates that the McLaren MCL39 has superior capabilities when it comes to maintaining the Pirelli tyres within a stable temperature window, an element that will be particularly advantageous over the full 300-kilometre Grand Prix distance.
The Mercedes F1 Team drivers were instead slower overall, trailing nearly one full second per lap behind Max Verstappen. The primary limitation for Mercedes was again tyre temperature control. The exceptionally warm track surface contributed to a rapid thermal build-up in the tyres, which caused early graining. Data charts reveal that both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell began to suffer from tyre graining after just three laps of simulation, caused by thermal shock. Fortunately for the Brackley-based team, the situation improved in the following laps, during which the tyres had time to recover and the drivers were able to lower their lap times once more.
In his typical pre-weekend remarks to the media, Charles Leclerc appeared reasonably optimistic. The Monegasque driver acknowledged that the performance gap to Red Bull Racing still existed and was quite evident, but he expressed a strong desire to attempt a victory on Red Bull’s home soil at Silverstone. After Free Practice 2 came to a close, Charles Leclerc delivered additional feedback via team radio during his in-lap at the wheel of the Ferrari SF-25, stating: “I think we have to maximise qualifying, but the race setup feels really good.” This quick analysis from the driver serves as a reminder of the observations made just one week ago at the Austrian Grand Prix.
As expected, the Ferrari engineers and technicians dedicated the entirety of the third free practice session to optimising the car’s setup for the qualifying session. This seems to be the essential goal in order to realistically challenge McLaren Racing and go head-to-head with their distinctive papaya-coloured Formula 1 machines.
Additionally, the insights gathered from Lewis Hamilton’s long run—where he stressed the tyres early and completed a full medium-tyre simulation—provided the Ferrari engineers with critical data regarding how far the SF-25 car can be pushed in terms of performance without exceeding the tyre limits.
Challenging McLaren will undoubtedly be a difficult task, as the British team is extremely well-prepared from a technical standpoint. However, this does not change the fact that Scuderia Ferrari is not afraid and is determined to aim for the very top of the starting grid in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
And you? What do you think? Can Ferrari challenge McLaren in the battle for pole position at the Silverstone circuit? Let us know with a comment at the end of the article or on our social media channels: Facebook Group / Facebook Page / Instagram / X (former Twitter)
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