Ferrari: Austin podium shows technical progress and team pride
At the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Ferrari returned to the podium with a strong weekend in terms of execution. After a difficult period for the Maranello team, this was a welcome boost, ending the podium drought that had lasted since the Belgian Grand Prix. The Texan weekend represented a steady improvement, and this is certainly one of the most positive takeaways.
Team principal Frederick Vasseur commented that such a result was needed, helping to ease tensions both on and off the track within the team. While third and fourth place finishes do not dramatically brighten a season that has lacked standout results so far, the French manager emphasized that the weekend served as a confidence booster: “There is a sense of pride in the work the team did throughout the weekend,” particularly in a team environment surrounded by unfounded rumors.
Not about ride heights: understanding tires, car adjustments, and execution
The Austin weekend was a story of two phases for the Ferrari SF-25, with a positive turnaround following changes made during the parc fermé reopening between the Sprint and qualifying sessions. On Saturday, Ferrari was the only top 10 team to improve its Friday qualifying times, showing that during the first part of the weekend, the SF-25 was still operating at roughly 70% of its maximum potential. After the sprint race, Charles Leclerc acknowledged that the session served as a true test to understand what adjustments were needed for qualifying.
Charles Leclerc notably improved after a quieter Friday compared to Lewis Hamilton, who had started the weekend more comfortably. Our sources confirm that Leclerc’s main adjustment involved the brake-by-wire system, which controls rear braking and is modulated via the “brake migration” settings on the steering wheel. Changes were also made to the differential setup to improve performance, particularly in the initial sector with the series of high-speed corners.
Race strategy and tire management
On Sunday, starting on soft tires was a calculated risk for Charles Leclerc, based on a better understanding of the compounds during the weekend. The Monegasque driver chose the softs after the pre-race debrief, aiming to attack at the start. His race pace was, on average, just over a tenth of a second behind Max Verstappen. While the softs had previously been used by Verstappen in races like the Netherlands and Singapore, Fred Vasseur noted that Ferrari’s performance also benefited from optimizing the car with a focus on tire behavior. Charles Leclerc managed his first stint intelligently, demonstrating near-perfect tire management, considering that the SF-25, like the SF-24, is not a car that aggressively wears its tires.
In terms of results, starting on softs likely did not change the final outcome of a third-place finish. Hamilton, starting on medium tires, delivered strong pace, faster than Oscar Piastri and George Russell behind him. There was some team uncertainty regarding the timing of Leclerc’s pit stop after being overtaken by Lando Norris, which briefly placed both Ferrari drivers in a suboptimal fight. However, no punctures or anomalies were reported on Hamilton’s SF-25 during routine post-race checks.
Car condition and thermal management
The performance in Austin was also marked by excellent thermal management of the SF-25. Despite high ambient temperatures and the track’s heavy braking zones, the car avoided severe overheating issues like those seen in Singapore. Lift-and-coast strategies, often used in the past to reduce brake load, were hardly necessary. Ferrari performs well where there is less need to manage these stresses during a race. Minimal interventions were applied to Hamilton’s SF-25, partly due to slightly dirtier air in which he ran during the first stint and a slightly different setup from Leclerc.
Another potential concern was plank wear, a frequent issue at COTA, recalling the 2023 disqualification. Autoracer confirmed that both SF-25 cars were safe regarding plank thickness after the race. Both cars finished in the top 5 and underwent checks for plank thickness, with Charles Leclerc’s car also tested for skid stiffness as part of routine procedures for top 3 finishers. Ride height remains a limitation of the SF-25, with memories of the Shanghai disqualification and the 2023 Austin issue still fresh in the team’s mind. The 2025 mechanics allow more uniform skid wear compared to the 2024 push-rod design, which concentrated impacts in the early sections. On circuits like Austin, these factors require a conservative approach to ride heights.
Looking ahead to Mexico City, environmental conditions will be even more extreme. At over 2,200 meters above sea level, the thin air reduces cooling efficiency for both brakes and the engine. Currently, there are no plans to change Charles Leclerc’s SF-25 power unit, which is already at the limit of four internal combustion and hybrid components, as a replacement would incur a 10-place grid penalty. Ferrari will bring an engine cover with larger vents to improve hot-air extraction, ensuring the power unit remains thermally efficient and reliable over the long lap at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. This bodywork adjustment is purely for thermal management and has no aerodynamic intent.
Leave a Reply