New SF-25 floor not enough: Ferrari’s thermal issues persist in Austria. Despite introducing a new floor in Austria, Ferrari was forced to use lift and coast due to thermal issues.

Ferrari Still Limited in Austria: The New Floor Did Not Solve a Serious Underlying Problem

Scuderia Ferrari achieved a third-place finish with Charles Leclerc and a fourth-place result with Lewis Hamilton at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix, held at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg.

At the Red Bull Ring—one of the shortest but most demanding tracks on the Formula 1 calendar—the Maranello-based team clearly positioned itself as the second-best force on the grid, trailing only the dominant McLaren team, which has continued its impressive run of form through the European leg of the season.

The newly introduced floor, brought by Ferrari’s technical department as part of the SF-25’s mid-season development plan, appears to have delivered some of the expected gains. The update provided greater aerodynamic load and significantly reduced sensitivity to ride height variations. These improvements allowed the car to operate more consistently within a broader and more effective performance window, which was a critical target for the team after early-season struggles.

However, despite the positive step forward, this major update was not enough to prevent both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton from resorting to a very limiting race strategy: the frequent and prolonged use of the lift and coast technique.

What Is Lift and Coast, Why Is It Limiting, and What Causes It?

The lift and coast technique is a fuel and temperature management driving strategy. It involves the driver lifting off the throttle (the “lift”) several meters before the usual braking point and then allowing the car to decelerate using its natural inertia (the “coast”) before initiating full braking into the corner.

While this approach can reduce fuel consumption and help regulate the temperatures of both the power unit and braking system, it inevitably comes with a performance trade-off. Drivers lose valuable time per lap due to the extended deceleration phase. In Ferrari’s case, the thermal management of both the hybrid power unit and the braking system has proven to be more problematic than expected—forcing the team into conservative strategies, even at the expense of outright pace.

Among the two Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc was especially vocal in his frustration. The Monegasque driver stated that he was instructed to use lift and coast “in every corner of every lap,” and he was clear in explaining that this driving style was not compatible with his natural approach behind the wheel. The constraint compromised his rhythm and overall race execution.

From Ferrari’s perspective, bringing both cars to the finish line without technical issues was a priority—but it’s evident that race-day performance was significantly limited by thermal constraints, which prevented the SF-25 from showing its full potential.

A Possible Turning Point Awaits at Spa-Francorchamps

There may soon be relief for Ferrari. The long-planned upgrade package for the SF-25 is set to be completed at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, scheduled for the end of July at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

At Spa, Ferrari’s engineering team is expected to debut a brand-new rear suspension system, a much-anticipated update that has been in development for several months. Alongside this, several smaller refinements and setup adjustments are also expected to be introduced as part of the complete package.

These additional upgrades are designed not only to enhance the SF-25’s mechanical grip and aerodynamic efficiency, but also to improve the car’s thermal behavior under race conditions. If the updates prove successful, Ferrari may finally eliminate the need for lift and coast during races—allowing their drivers to push closer to the car’s true performance ceiling without fear of overheating.

Only time will tell whether this problematic technique will continue to be a recurring theme in Ferrari’s race radio communications between engineers and drivers. But one thing is clear: without the structural limitations currently affecting thermal management, the 2025 Formula 1 season might have looked very different for Scuderia Ferrari.