Ferrari is preparing to face the second half of the highly competitive 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season with a renewed sense of hope, determination, and strategic focus. Although the championship campaign for the iconic Italian team is already effectively compromised and no longer realistically in contention for the drivers’ or constructors’ titles this year, the primary objective for the entire team remains crystal clear: to regain solid confidence, consistency, and certainty in the overall performance, reliability, and competitiveness of their SF-25 single-seater. This intangible benefit of increased trust and stability in their machinery, unlike the very specific technical knowledge gained from the current generation of Formula 1 cars, holds even greater value as it can be transferred and applied directly to the development and refinement of their next-generation car for the upcoming 2026 season, officially referred to internally as Project 678.
Following the recent filming day that took place at the Mugello Circuit, Ferrari’s exclusive and privately owned racing facility nestled in the heart of Tuscany, Italy, the team introduced and put through preliminary testing the new rear suspension system. This suspension upgrade was specifically designed with the intent to reduce the amount of “squat” — the unwanted rear-end lowering under acceleration — which can negatively affect traction and overall car balance. The introduction of this component marked a significant technical milestone and was warmly anticipated by the paddock and fans worldwide. Now, Ferrari’s engineers, technicians and drivers are eagerly seeking to validate and confirm the real-world performance gains of this new rear suspension at what is colloquially referred to in Formula 1 as the “University of Formula 1.” This revered nickname applies to the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, a track renowned for its demanding nature and a place where technically mediocre or poorly conceived car projects rarely achieve meaningful success or leave a positive impression.
Spa-Francorchamps holds the distinction of being the longest track on the modern Formula 1 calendar, stretching just over seven kilometers. Its layout is a unique combination of high-speed straights, complex and varied corners, long elevation changes, and technical challenges that test every aspect of a car’s design. The circuit features a mix of turns that vary widely in radius, angle, and width, from the iconic Eau Rouge-Raidillon complex to the slower, more technical sections such as La Source and Les Combes. This complexity makes Spa a perfect proving ground for evaluating chassis, suspension, and aerodynamic upgrades in conditions that reflect the full range of real racing scenarios.
Ferrari will have the valuable opportunity to conduct a rigorous, highly demanding, and very revealing open-air test of their new technical components, as Spa-Francorchamps’ challenging track does not allow any weaknesses or vulnerabilities of the car to be hidden, masked, or mitigated by track layout or conditions. For this important reason, the Italian racing team has also made the strategic and forward-thinking decision to bring and test the brand-new aerodynamic package that is specifically intended for the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Monza, known globally as the “Temple of Speed,” is famous for its extremely high-speed straights and minimal downforce requirements. Ferrari expects to collect the first significant and meaningful performance data related to these aerodynamic components during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, data that could prove crucial to making a decisive difference on the very high-speed straights and corners typical of the historic Monza circuit.
SF-25: Rear Suspension Spare Parts Are Almost Fully Ready
There is no need for hesitation or understatement: the debut of the brand-new rear suspension system on the Ferrari SF-25 Formula 1 car, which was officially “deliberated” and unveiled at the promotional event organized at Ferrari’s private Mugello Circuit in Tuscany, is widely perceived within the paddock, by motorsport analysts, and by Ferrari’s passionate fanbase as a major turning point and potential breakthrough in the otherwise challenging 2025 season. This highly anticipated technical modification is designed to alter and improve the suspension kinematics of the car, with the aim of significantly enhancing the management and distribution of both aerodynamic and mechanical load during all phases of driving, from slow corners to high-speed straights. Ultimately, the goal is to widen the car’s operational window, allowing it to remain competitive and stable over a broader range of track conditions and driving styles.
This strategic and much-needed move is absolutely necessary in order to correctly use and optimize the ride heights that were carefully studied, developed, and defined by Ferrari’s original vehicle dynamics and suspension project team. It also aims to maximize the potential of the distinctive handling and performance characteristics of the Italian Formula 1 car, which was designed to deliver competitive advantage through aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical grip. Whether this much-anticipated suspension upgrade will prove sufficient to close the existing performance gap with competitors such as McLaren, can only be definitively determined by the most reliable and impartial judge in motorsport—the racetrack itself.
Meanwhile, the work inside the Ferrari factory located in Maranello continues at an intense and very fast pace, with the clear and determined goal of having all components, assemblies, and preparations completed and fully ready for the thirteenth round of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship. This race will be a critical moment for Ferrari as they aim to score strong points and demonstrate tangible improvements.
In the critical and tense days leading up to the highly anticipated race weekend in Belgium, Ferrari is in the final stages of completing the production and quality assurance process for all necessary spare parts related to the new suspension mechanism on the rear axle. These spare components are intended for installation on both Ferrari SF-25 cars of Charles Leclerc and seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. The Maranello-based team fully understands that if it becomes necessary to replace any parts of the rear suspension system during the race weekend due to damage, wear, or performance reasons, the components must be immediately available and ready to be fitted without delay to avoid any loss of track time or competitive advantage. The Belgian Spa-Francorchamps circuit is famously unforgiving and merciless, particularly on the fastest sections where the cars routinely reach speeds well above 300 kilometers per hour, making the slightest technical error or equipment failure potentially very costly in terms of race result and championship points.
Rear Wing Specification Fully Ready for Monza
Looking ahead at the official 2025 Formula 1 race calendar, Spa-Francorchamps represents the first racing circuit in the second half of the championship season. When testing and refining the basic setup and aerodynamic balance of the car on this track, engineers must carefully take into account the very long sections where cars run at extremely high speeds, putting maximum demands on aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical stability. Specifically, these conditions include the first sector and, even more importantly, the third sector, where aerodynamic drag and resistance to forward motion become the number one adversaries to achieving competitive lap times. These conditions are very similar and comparable to those found at the Italian Grand Prix circuit of Monza, which is widely known and respected throughout the racing world as the “Temple of Speed.”
Although in the current 2025 Formula 1 race calendar the Belgian Grand Prix no longer immediately precedes the Monza round, as often happened in previous seasons, the Maranello-based team will bring and run the new rear wing specification that was specifically designed and conceived for the Monza race weekend during the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix. The aerodynamic department, led by Chief Aerodynamicist Diego Tondi and his technical team, intends to gather as much useful and reliable data as possible during free practice sessions and qualifying runs in order to confirm and validate the performance, stability, and reliability of the new wing specification for the Monza race.
As is often the case in these situations and high-pressure technical developments, all plans remain strictly dependent on the smooth and correct execution of the planned work program and the absence of unpredictable external factors such as adverse weather conditions, unexpected mechanical failures, or incidents on track. Not least among the technical challenges to be monitored is the ongoing power steering problem, which remains under close scrutiny and detailed review by Ferrari’s engineering team at Spa. Despite these challenges, Ferrari is fully prepared, motivated, and determined to make a significant and meaningful step forward in terms of overall car performance and competitiveness, aiming to give clear purpose, direction, and renewed energy to their entire 2025 season, even though the sprint race format scheduled for the Belgian Grand Prix weekend will make the typical testing and data gathering process more challenging and complicated than usual.
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