We have arrived at the eve of the eighth race of the 2025 Formula 1 season. A third of the scheduled Grands Prix has flown by, and for Ferrari, these coming weeks could prove very important: the Maranello team is at a crossroads between continuing to believe in the SF-25 and its untapped potential, as team principal Frederic Vasseur insists, or beginning to focus on the 2026 car. The next two rounds, including Monaco but especially Spain, will be crucial in determining the fate of Ferrari and its troubled campaign. And in an effort to overcome the current crisis, it seems the engineers are preparing to bring to the track, in a few races’ time, a new rear suspension. This component has been worked on directly by technical director Loic Serra since the days following pre-season testing. It should address some of the car’s core issues, helping unlock the claimed potential of the car by enabling a mechanical configuration currently limited by the existing suspension.
New Developments… and Problems Ahead
But beyond the lack of performance, there have been growing alarm bells at Ferrari in recent weeks due to reliability issues with the power unit—both on the Scuderia’s cars and those of customer teams. As exclusively reported by formula1.it during the Jeddah weekend, Ferrari’s engine department decided to preemptively replace the power units in Lewis Hamilton’s and Charles Leclerc’s cars after data showed concerning parameters, anticipating the scheduled swap originally planned for Miami. And in Florida, Ferrari-powered teams like Haas and Stake suffered double retirements due to structural failures of engine components (Gabriel Bortoleto’s issue was linked to the fuel system), mirroring what occurred at Imola with Esteban Ocon’s Haas.
Relying on Hope…
At the Imola circuit, we also received indirect confirmation from a team member who, when asked about engine durability, didn’t express calm or confidence but rather, with a shrug, resorted to hopeful exclamations. Furthermore, this writer has exclusively learned from a source close to Ferrari that the team’s engine department has decided to substantially reduce the mileage of its power units to safeguard reliability—at least until a solution can be found. This move, according to our information, should not affect engine power but will very likely lead both the Scuderia and its customer teams to incur penalties before the season ends. The current situation makes it unlikely they will complete the championship using just the four permitted units (to be managed with extreme care) as per the regulations. In short, it’s yet another setback that Fréd Vasseur’s team, already grappling with numerous challenges, will now have to contend with.
Leave a Reply