Why the latest Ferrari cars struggle in wet conditions
After a promising start to the weekend, Ferrari found itself struggling again under wet conditions. Lewis Hamilton made mistakes and will start last in what has been a difficult season, while Charles Leclerc appeared frustrated: “This used to be one of my strengths. Since I joined Ferrari, the problem has always been the same—the car simply doesn’t work in the wet. It’s starting to feel a bit long…”
Charles Leclerc’s post-qualifying comment almost seemed like an indirect response to John Elkann’s public criticism. In wet conditions, mechanical grip often outweighs aerodynamic efficiency. The usable range of suspension travel, chassis stiffness, and overall setup plays a key role, particularly in managing ride height and the aerodynamic consequences of the car lifting off the ground. There’s no single formula, and Venturi-effect cars in particular are extremely sensitive: a wet tire raises ride height by a few millimeters, which already reduces downforce. At Las Vegas, with its low downforce requirements, even a well-designed car needs slightly higher tire pressures to generate sufficient heat—another factor that further increases ride height.
This phenomenon is not new. It was already observed during the TD39 era and was compounded by the late 2023 regulation changes that disrupted Ferrari’s concept. A Ferrari engineer in Maranello once explained that “it depends on how you design the car, and the ride height ranges you target during development simulations.” In practice, it comes down to where downforce is maximized and how much grip can be extracted from the tires. For years, Ferrari’s cars have been out of range: poor traction and light corner entry, especially with intermediates at high speed on low grip surfaces. Wet conditions are slightly less dramatic because lower speeds reduce the problem and the softer sidewall dampens excessive responsiveness. Tires warm up faster, and the usable window on blue-band wet tires drops by 20 degrees. Even when Ferrari cars were strong on curbs, they could not remain optimal on damp tracks. The F1-75 was the only car with adequate downforce before the directive changes.
Yesterday’s qualifying in Las Vegas, similar to Silverstone, exposed the SF-25’s weakness in the wet while the car performed well in dry conditions. This suggests that Ferrari may have prioritized stiffness for high-speed corners at extremely low ride heights, which restricts setup compromises and forces drivers to operate as if on ice. Adjustments to the rear suspension further stiffened the SF-25, making it arguably the hardest car on the grid compared to competitors who can run softer setups.
Tire pressures also play a major role, as Frédéric Vasseur has often highlighted. A notable example came in Canada when extreme setups caused even the capable SF-24 to struggle. At Las Vegas, a combination of these factors exposed every weakness. Charles Leclerc had to use a heavier rear wing to avoid being eliminated in Q1, and the team can only hope for dry conditions in the race. Meanwhile, he will face a 5 km/h speed deficit compared to Lewis Hamilton’s Monza-spec setup.
Leclerc forced into damage-limitation mode
Until Maranello accepts that an F1 car needs to be a compromise – not a dry-weather weapon that falls apart the moment it rains – Charles Leclerc’s quiet frustration will only grow louder.
“It’s starting to get a bit long…” Indeed it is.
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