With the Ferrari SF-25, another step forward is needed in Formula 1. The Maranello team arrives at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, USA, with a lot of hope and confidence in their abilities for the sixth round of the 2025 Formula 1 championship. It is a weekend we could define as transitional, while hopefully waiting for the aerodynamic package which is set to by introduced in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend in Italy. An update for Imola which includes the first real modifications to address the issues of the SF-25 that have emerged in these first two months.
In the meantime, in Florida, the Italian side must give its best. The goal is to optimize the result once again and, if possible, do so with both Ferrari drivers. Looking at the bigger picture, the American track should suit the characteristics of the Italian car. Last year, Charles Leclerc reached the podium. The pace was not far from Lando Norris’ McLaren, which won and changed the championship.
In terms of pure performance, the Prancing Horse lost pole position by a small margin. We remember how the chosen setup showed a good compromise between high-speed and low-speed corners, and long straights. However, the current Ferrari is a bit different. First of all, it has a smaller setup window, which will not make it easy to build a good race weekend.
Another important element concerns balance in a single lap, where the SF-25 shows marked understeer, a characteristic we have highlighted since the pre-season testing session at the Bahrain International Circuit. This feature of the car’s drivability has significantly limited the drivers’ feeling. We have seen this clearly in the first 5 rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season. But what is the source of this limitation, which has been forcing both drivers to adapt their driving styles?
First, let’s analyze the presumed causes of the pull-rod layout. Charles Leclerc prefers a very precise front end and suffers from this lack of rotation. However, between the two Ferrari drivers, the Monegasque has adapted much better for now. The understeer has several origins. On the suspension side, we absolutely cannot blame the new pull-rod layout. Rather, we need to talk about the arrangement of the arms that, while determining much of the front dynamics, are linked to the rear end in their operation.
The two axes cannot be considered separately, as they are closely connected to each other. Nonetheless, it is not the pull-rod layout itself that causes the difficulties mentioned. In general, we can hypothesize a lack of front grip. This results in a more rearward balance and, as a consequence, makes it difficult for the car to rotate. In other words, it is as if the maximum available front grip is too reduced.
During cornering, the load on the tires is combined. For this reason, we have a longitudinal load percentage for braking the car and a lateral load percentage for pushing the car toward the asphalt. The maximum grip must “contain” both of these contributions. If it doesn’t, it is quite obvious that the performance won’t meet expectations, and the Ferrari car cannot fully exploit its potential.
From an aerodynamic perspective, the issue is different. The greatest deficit does not come from the front section of the floor. We can, therefore, exclude inconsistencies regarding the loading level from this part of the car, which seems to be working closer to the expected load values. The problem, unfortunately, seems to stem once again from the ride heights. Although much reduced compared to the past, it should be noted that the current Formula 1 cars have a certain degree of rake.
The area closest to the ground is the T-Tray, which essentially skims the track surface. In this zone, all teams work to reduce skid wear and extract a lot of performance. Ferrari is forced to slightly increase the ride height, and, as a direct consequence, the floor cannot generate the downforce needed on the front end of the Italian car.
When a floor does not work at the correct ride heights, the problem also affects the rear end at certain speeds, but as mentioned, it also impacts the front end in a broader spectrum. In other words, by raising the car, the lost load is not the same between the front and rear, and proportionally, the Ferrari suffers a more significant imbalance on the front end: a lack of load in certain areas that makes it ineffective.
The Ferrari technicians and engineers are working on suspension adjustments in order to optimize the SF-25’s performance as not all of the understeer can be attributed to this issue. During the qualifying session at the Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia, for example, Ferrari lost a lot of ground in the first three slow corners because the front tires had not been activated yet. The Italian team studied the car extensively ahead of the Miami Grand Prix weekend, and the decision not to bring aerodynamic updates is mainly related to the sprint weekend format.
Giving up the possible support of aerodynamic updates should not be seen as a move of surrender. On the contrary, the Maranello team will have the opportunity to study the car again, focusing on runs with more fuel on board, but also in terms of qualifying performance, thanks to the double session that will take place. The compromise in setup aims to optimize single-lap performance.
This has been discussed by everyone, including Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur. There is a step missing in this regard that the historic Italian team wants to achieve as soon as possible. In order to do so, they need a more neutral balance, eliminating the understeer, to give more confidence to the drivers and push the car to the maximum. There should therefore be some changes in suspension settings to stabilize the aerodynamic platform. We eagerly await to see what will happen.
— see video above —
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