During the official drivers’ press conference ahead of the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Lewis Hamilton addressed the much-anticipated new rear suspension system introduced by Scuderia Ferrari, explaining the challenges of evaluating such a major upgrade in a Sprint weekend format. The British seven-time Formula 1 World Champion emphasized that the team needs more time and mileage to properly assess the benefits of the new components.
After several months of rumors, speculation, and behind-the-scenes development, Ferrari is finally ready to unveil its new rear suspension setup on the SF-25 during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. This marks a key technical milestone for the Maranello-based team, which aims to provide both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with a significantly improved car capable of fighting for victory at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar.
The latest upgrades already introduced to the 2025 Ferrari SF-25, including the new floor, appear to have had a positive impact. These developments have helped Ferrari re-establish itself as the second-best team on the grid behind Red Bull Racing, and crucially, ahead of rivals such as Mercedes and Red Bull. Now, with the addition of the updated rear suspension—which was partially tested during a recent filming day at the Mugello circuit—Ferrari hopes to close the gap even further to McLaren.
The Mugello session, held over two days, was not a full-scale test but rather a promotional filming day limited to approximately 15 laps. Nevertheless, it provided the Maranello engineers with some preliminary data and a foundation to start correlating results. This data will be essential as the team begins to fine-tune the system during the limited free practice sessions available at Spa-Francorchamps, especially given the Sprint weekend format which significantly reduces available track time.
Lewis Hamilton, while optimistic, was also realistic about the timeline for drawing conclusions on the new parts. He explained that no full test session took place at Mugello, and cautioned that real benefits from the suspension would only become clear after it is run across a variety of circuits.
“We didn’t carry out any actual testing at Mugello. It was just a filming day—about fifteen laps, nothing more,” said Lewis Hamilton. “The sensations were the same as in previous weeks. We’ll be able to try the new suspension components during free practice, and over the coming race weekends at different circuits we’ll get a clearer idea of the potential benefits. The positive thing about Mugello is that we brought some upgrades, while other teams have opted to introduce smaller updates spread across multiple weekends. I’m happy to see changes being made—there has been a lot of work at the factory. We’ll try to make the most of this progress every weekend.”
Lewis Hamilton’s words reflect a measured optimism. While the technical staff at Ferrari are hopeful that the newly developed rear suspension system will deliver a meaningful improvement in mechanical grip and consistency, especially over bumpy tracks like Spa, the British driver stressed that patience will be essential. The team will need to study data carefully and adapt the setup over time before declaring a clear performance gain.
The Sprint format, which includes just one practice session before qualifying and the Sprint race itself, complicates this process further, limiting Ferrari’s ability to thoroughly evaluate and optimize the updated suspension system during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Nonetheless, the introduction of such a significant upgrade marks an important step forward in Ferrari’s development program for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
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