Ferrari’s balance remains tricky: ideal delta to McLaren is two tenths

During the first free practice sessions for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Ferrari arrived at the 6.174-kilometre Jeddah Corniche Circuit with a good initial setup, a sign of excellent simulator preparation. As previously anticipated, the balance was slightly shifted forward to provide more front-end grip, both because fast corners require a strong front on entry and because, at the start of this 2025 Formula 1 season, the drivers have frequently complained about understeer.

In the first free practice session, the Maranello team focused on optimizing stiffness, as two limitations emerged in high-speed sections. The first is direction changes, where the SF-25 single-seater is still not as agile as desired. Cars like the McLaren MCL39 or the Red Bull RB21 handle lateral load transfers differently. They are more reactive, which matters a lot in Jeddah. After adjustments, the Italian side found a window in which to make the car work.

Charles Leclerc’s direction is working, the floor too, but fine-tuning remains tricky. For the second free practice session, the Ferrari technicians and engineers slightly revised the aerodynamic balance. The Monegasque driver, on his first run with the soft tyres, experienced excessive rear-end instability, which did not give him much confidence on corner entry and mid-corner. The 27-year-old driver then requested a “minus 4,” meaning the front wing angle was reduced by 4 clicks, an operation which was verified via on-board footage. This shifts the center of pressure and helps stabilize the rear.

From a handling perspective, it is better to have some understeer rather than oversteer on entry. This is why Charles Leclerc found something useful with this setup. It should be noted that the SF-25, with this configuration, still lacks rotation compared to the McLaren, although the new floor seems to be working better in Saudi Arabia than it did in Bahrain.

It remains to be seen how much of a step forward this actually is — a verdict that can only come in the qualifying session and the race. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur and Charles Leclerc, after all, had differing opinions last weekend in Bahrain. In general, even though they seem to have found a good setup today, with which the SF-25 appears to be working, the car remains difficult to fine-tune. This is because the balance between front and rear is very delicate.

The transition between understeer and oversteer is extremely narrow. That is what deputy team principal Jerome D’Ambrosio was referring to when he said the operating window was hard to find. Bottoming remains an issue, and today we will need to see if they’ve been able to lower the SF-25 to the design ride height. In Bahrain, just a few millimetres were missing — but those make a difference on the stopwatch in terms of ride height.

In Turn 1 they’re losing a lot, but it should be an issue that can be addressed with some fine tuning. For now, telemetry allows us to estimate the ideal gap around two-tenths rather than the four to five tenths seen on Friday. A gap that could shrink further with improved setup. Another important factor to keep in mind is the rear wings. Today we will see which version the Ferrari engineers choose.

The two drivers brought two different rear wing configurations to the track, specifically regarding the trailing edge of the second flap. A minimal variation, but one that could offer a small straight-line speed advantage by reducing drag and improving the efficiency ratio. In terms of top speed, Red Bull leads with 332 kilometers per hour. Ferrari reaches 328 kilometers per hour, thus a deficit of 4 kilometers per hour.

At the moment, McLaren appears to be the slowest of the three contenders, trailing by 7 kilometers per hour. The Woking car, however, remains the one to beat with the best overall package. It has a very strong front end, with lots of grip, using this as the foundation to build the setup and stabilize the rear. No mid-corner instability and very clean laps. The difference compared to Ferrari is made on entry and in direction changes.

Yesterday morning Red Bull had understeer. They changed the setup to seek rotation and better balance the downforce from the floor. The RB21 is still more complex to manage than the Ferrari, even though in Jeddah they seem to have found the right operating point. Compared to the MCL39 it loses ground on corner entry, but regains a good chunk of that on exit due to strong traction.

They also gain on every straight. They’re not the fastest in the speed trap, but have significantly optimized their top speed, a parameter that will be crucial in the race. Temperatures remain high, with 31 degrees celsius air and 39 degrees celsius track temperature, but since there are almost no low-speed traction points, the rear performs well thermally. The track isn’t rear-limited, so the RB21’s issue is less apparent.