Scuderia Ferrari is preparing for the 2025 Formula 1 season. It has already completed two tests, in Fiorano and Barcelona, with the SF-23 single-seater, while waiting to hit the track in Bahrain with the new car, in which it has placed significant hopes. The goal is to fight at the top and finally remove that annoying zero from the championship title tally. The last time the Italian side won anything was back in 2008. With just over a year to go until the regulatory revolution that will completely change the top tier of motorsport, the Maranello team had to make precise design choices.
Continuity or a change in approach? This question will only be answered at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, during the three crucial days of pre-season testing for the 2025 Formula 1 campaign. Meanwhile, speculation continues regarding the suspension characteristics of the SF-25. According to general opinion, Ferrari’s latest creation will feature a pull-rod front suspension, aligning with Red Bull and McLaren. And this could indeed be the case, although at this moment, we cannot rule out the opposite either. What is certain is who has already decided not to adopt this solution, albeit for reasons different from what one might assume.
In Formula 1, there is a collaboration between Ferrari and Haas, which, at least for the 2025 season, will be somewhat different. In other words, we can state with certainty that the American team’s technical department has decided to continue using Ferrari’s 2024 suspension model in the next championship. As team principal Ayao Komatsu explained, they chose not to purchase the latest version of the Prancing Horse’s front suspension setup. The Japanese team principal did not add much more to these statements, leaving room for various interpretations.
The most common argument supports a change for the Italian team, which could switch to a pull-rod front suspension. We have dedicated a detailed article to this topic, analyzing the various potential benefits and risks of such a decision. First of all, it must be clarified that push-rod and pull-rod systems are kinematically equivalent. There is no logical reason why one setup should be mechanically more advantageous than the other. The initial choice between a push-rod or pull-rod system is dictated solely by the aerodynamic department.
But let’s take a look at the timing behind Haas’s decision. The group of engineers studying fluid dynamics determines the position of the suspension arms, and based on that, the designers then define an effective kinematic setup, both structurally and in terms of compliance. The suspension dynamics must therefore adapt to the choices of each team’s core department—its aerodynamics division. Haas, however, seems to have taken a different approach. It is well known how crucial kinematics are to optimizing the car’s floor performance. At the rear, the interaction between aerodynamics and mechanics is fundamental.
However, even at the front, controlling ride height is a key parameter for fluid dynamics. According to what has been reported by various Italian news media outlets, Haas decided not to take the risk of purchasing Ferrari’s 2025 suspension version because they did not know exactly when the first details about the new product would arrive. It is worth remembering that every year, the Italian team updates internal components as part of necessary development. Such information is crucial for defining the project.
Primarily, this concerns packaging constraints, but also the characteristics related to the response of the elements themselves, ensuring proper work on ride height control for managing airflow. It is therefore necessary to simulate the behavior of various components to then calculate the level of oscillation of the suspension mounted on the 2025 car. The effect of these elements differs from car to car, depending on several factors. This is why Haas, rather than making a radical front-end change, stuck with the 2024 specification—to avoid delays in receiving data and the product itself from Ferrari.
The real risk was ending up with too little time to study the car’s dynamic behavior, negatively impacting aerodynamics. The path of continuity was chosen to allow more time for studying aero-mechanical interactions and expanding the aerodynamic map. On balance, retaining the 2024 suspension elements was less of a drawback than ensuring the floor worked within the correct operating window. This way, they can rule out potential negative aerodynamic consequences. We do not rule out that the SF-25 may adopt a pull-rod front suspension.
However, the American team’s decision is not an obvious indication of Ferrari’s choices. Moreover, considering the important technical partnership recently established with Toyota, Haas is gradually distancing itself from the Italian team, even though it still maintains a satellite office within Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters.
There is also one final important factor that must be emphasized in this regard. Looking toward the future, particularly the regulatory changes coming for the 2026 Formula 1 season, Haas’s decision to continue with Ferrari’s 2024 suspension specification has nothing to do with the future regulations. The revolution introduced by the FIA “forces” teams to work in isolated compartments, diversifying their various projects. For this reason, it would be incorrect to assume that certain suspension choices for the championship starting in just over a month were made with 2026 in mind.
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