Scuderia Ferrari has officially given its approval to the newly developed rear suspension system of its SF-25 Formula 1 car, following a dedicated testing session held at the Mugello Circuit. This facility, located in the heart of Tuscany, is owned by the Maranello-based racing team and often serves as a testing ground for technical innovations. The highly anticipated test took place during an FIA-sanctioned filming day, providing the team with a valuable opportunity to evaluate the performance of the updated rear-end architecture under controlled conditions.
During this important session, Charles Leclerc completed the morning stint behind the wheel of the SF-25, while his teammate, seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, took over driving duties in the afternoon. Each of the two Scuderia Ferrari drivers completed 19 laps, resulting in a total of 38 laps around the picturesque Tuscan circuit. The primary objective was to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the modified rear suspension, particularly in the area of the reengineered upper wishbone arms. While Charles Leclerc did not perceive dramatic changes in vehicle behavior during his run, the engineering department at Ferrari considered the test successful, and the revised suspension will be brought to the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps for use in competitive conditions.
This marked the second official filming day conducted by Ferrari during the 2025 Formula One World Championship season. Unlike typical filming days, which primarily focus on producing promotional footage for marketing and sponsorship purposes, Ferrari used this limited window to gather crucial technical data. Under FIA regulations, teams are permitted to cover a maximum of 200 kilometers during such events, and Ferrari used this allowance to gather data on the newly updated rear suspension system of the SF-25.
Rather than treating the session as a media opportunity, the Ferrari engineers chose to focus entirely on performance-oriented testing. For Ferrari, the test will hopefully represent a key turning point in a Formula 1 season that began with frustration and underwhelming results. Looking ahead, this upgrade could help the Italian side turn things around starting from the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, which is scheduled to take place next week at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps racing circuit.
Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton shared the testing workload evenly, with each driver covering half of the planned 38-lap total. Also present at Mugello to supervise the test session was Loïc Serra, Ferrari’s technical director, who closely observed the data and vehicle behavior to assess the true impact and effectiveness of the revised rear suspension on the SF-25’s performance.
The core goal of this rear suspension development is to enhance the mechanical and aerodynamic stability of the Formula 1 car, particularly when driving over uneven track surfaces that can cause fluctuating ride heights. Such variations have proven to be problematic for the Ferrari SF-25, especially when operating at the limit of performance. During earlier rounds of the championship, including the Chinese Grand Prix held in Shanghai, Ferrari engineers observed that pushing the car’s setup to its extreme limits led to an excessive amount of wear on the plank beneath the floor, especially in fast corners and under high-fuel load conditions.
As a result, the Maranello engineering team has struggled throughout the season to extract the full performance potential from the SF-25. They have often been forced to compromise on car setup, balancing between optimal performance and avoiding mechanical damage or aerodynamic instability. These compromises have had a direct impact on the team’s competitiveness and race results. So far in the 2025 Formula 1 season, Ferrari remains the only top-level team among the leading contenders that has not yet won a full-length Grand Prix. The Sprint race victory secured by Lewis Hamilton in Shanghai is not counted as an official Grand Prix win under the team’s internal performance metrics.
Ferrari’s ambition remains high: the team from Maranello is aiming not only to defend its current second-place standing in the Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championship but also to return to the top step of the podium by winning at least one proper Grand Prix before the season concludes. Such success would restore momentum and provide meaningful motivation for the team before the technical department, led by Loïc Serra, shifts its primary focus to development of the 2026 Formula One car, which is currently being developed under the internal code name “678.”
The most visible indicator of the updated rear suspension lies in the altered mounting point of the front arm of the upper wishbone, which now connects differently to the gearbox casing of the SF-25. Although the Maranello-based team did not pursue an extreme redesign like the one introduced by Mercedes on their W16 chassis, Ferrari’s more conservative solution is still expected to yield tangible performance benefits. The revised geometry is designed to improve the anti-squat effect of the suspension under acceleration, helping to stabilize the rear of the car and reduce the sudden handling shifts that can occur due to abrupt aerodynamic load losses. While Charles Leclerc may not have noticed significant differences during his driving session, Ferrari’s engineers believe the solution has merit and have committed to racing it at Spa-Francorchamps.
Photographic images captured during the Mugello test session show the Ferrari SF-25 running visibly lower to the ground than in previous outings. This visual cue indicates that the new rear suspension system is successfully offering improved damping characteristics, leading to more consistent control over the car’s ride height. By minimizing the vertical movement of the chassis, the updated suspension should also help prevent the excessive wear of the car’s wooden plank, which is regulated under FIA rules to ensure a minimum ride height.
All the telemetry and data gathered during the Mugello filming day will now undergo detailed analysis at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello. It is important to note that during filming days, teams are restricted to using demonstration tires provided by Pirelli, which differ from the compounds used during official Grand Prix weekends. As a result, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were unable to make adjustments to the car’s setup to better suit their individual driving styles. Consequently, the performance potential of the revised suspension may not have been fully realized during the test, as neither driver could explore the full setup spectrum that would normally be used during a race weekend.
Nonetheless, the in-depth analysis of telemetry data should allow the team’s engineers to draw objective conclusions about the new suspension’s effectiveness. Importantly, this test marked the first time that the rear suspension update was used in combination with the newly developed floor that debuted during the Austrian Grand Prix. That floor upgrade had already shown signs of improved aerodynamic consistency and overall performance.
Previous tests conducted on the dynamic test bench at the factory in Maranello had estimated that the combined package of the new floor and rear suspension could deliver an improvement of approximately one-tenth of a second per lap. However, the Ferrari engineers were not solely focused on improving outright lap time. A key part of the development effort was directed toward optimizing the car’s handling characteristics, specifically aiming to expand the operating window of the Pirelli tires. This would result in a Formula 1 car that behaves in a more predictable and controllable manner when operating at the limit of grip—both in race trim and during qualifying laps.
In conclusion, the revised rear suspension system has received internal approval from Ferrari, but it will require further refinement and setup work during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, which will include a Sprint race format. This will provide a competitive environment to test the upgrade under real race conditions, and will help determine whether the changes represent a genuine step forward in the ongoing quest to improve the competitiveness of the Ferrari SF-25 throughout the remainder of the 2025 Formula One World Championship season.
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