Imola test looms for Ferrari as Maranello engineers seek answers for SF-25 handling issues. Ferrari returns to Imola aiming to solve its cornering problems before major updates debut in Spain.

Bringing everything home. That is, back to Europe, where it used to be said the real championship began. Now we are already a quarter of the way through the 2025 Formula 1 season and heading back to Italy, to Emilia-Romagna, to Imola. So, for Ferrari, back home. But not in the triumphant way it had hoped in the year of Sir Lewis Hamilton, with more glory and satisfaction to offer the fans. So far, it’s mostly been a case of defending. A few bright moments in the Sprints and little else, achieved largely thanks to Charles Leclerc’s ability and determination to push beyond the limits of this SF-25. A car that, especially in Lewis Hamilton’s hands, at times seemed to regress—particularly in its latest outing at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida.

Aspirations — As in Shanghai, Ferrari performed well in the Sprint, though that small podium came more from clever strategy than raw performance. Then came qualifying, once again a bitter experience, with Lewis Hamilton dropping from third place to elimination in Q2 in just three hours. “We struggled too much with the new tyre sets,” team principal Fred Vasseur explained. “We were losing a lot of time in turns 1 and 2.” This issue—difficulty in the more technical sections—has become oddly characteristic, considering that cornering used to be a strength of the red cars not long ago. Onboard footage from both Ferrari drivers showed numerous corrections, a sign of trouble in balancing front and rear. That also explains the greater struggle on new tyres, when grip is higher and the imbalance between front and rear tyres becomes more pronounced.

“For the rest of the lap, our pace was decent,” Frederic Vasseur added. More than decent: in the third sector on Saturday, Charles Leclerc was faster than Max Verstappen, which gives an idea of how much was being lost earlier in the lap, where more steering was required. Now comes a week’s break. Then a triple-header: Monte Carlo and the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, after the Imola round. Where Ferrari has the duty to bounce back—and so it will bring some updates. But not too many, because it must align its ambitions with its needs and the calendar: the bulk of the developments will have to wait for Spain, where the new rules on reduced front wing flexibility will come into effect. It’s a matter of waiting—without making mistakes.