F1, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: the final round of the championship arrives with Ferrari racing only for pride. With second place in the constructors’ standings already out of reach, the Scuderia can only aim to close a difficult season in the best way possible. The Yas Marina circuit, however, aligns far better with the natural characteristics of the SF-25. There will be no tyre-pressure complications like those seen in Qatar, but the team will still need a perfectly executed setup to extract maximum performance.
The problems Ferrari faced in Lusail
The Qatar weekend left Ferrari with frustration and unanswered questions. And it could hardly have been otherwise after three days in which the team failed to get on top of the car’s behaviour. The scenario had been predictable — as many had already highlighted in pre-event analysis — yet instead of improving session by session, Ferrari’s form collapsed, ending in some of the weakest performances of the entire season.
The reality proved even harsher than expected. On Sunday evening, Frederic Vasseur explained the root causes behind such a disappointing showing. The minimum tyre pressures imposed by Pirelli were extremely high, a factor that naturally reduces mechanical grip for the SF-25. While that was certainly true, the deeper issue came from the thermal imbalance between the two axles.
The SF-25 has struggled with this characteristic since the start of the season, but Pirelli’s unusually high front-axle minimum pressures amplified the weakness under the Lusail floodlights. With the front tyres inflated far higher than the rears, the balance of the car shifted rearward in an almost irreversible way. Ferrari attempted to compensate through aerodynamic adjustments, but nothing restored the harmony of the car.
To be clear, Ferrari has no grounds to blame Pirelli for the Qatar disaster. The tyre manufacturer is not responsible for the SF-25’s poor performance, and its decisions were made for the most important reason of all: driver safety.
SF-25: Tyre-pressure issues will not exist in Abu Dhabi
For the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the minimum pressures will be significantly lower. Combined with a circuit layout that fits the inherent traits of the SF-25, Ferrari should regain the mechanical grip that was completely absent in Qatar. Historically, Yas Marina has been a track where Ferrari has been far more confident than at Lusail.
In general, the car should adapt well to this type of circuit. In 2024, the SF-24 suffered from a lack of rotation — the same fundamental weakness of the current car — but Yas Marina is far more forgiving than Qatar when it comes to understeer. Even so, Ferrari will still need to minimise the issue through setup work to unlock its strongest performance window.
The compromise they found in 2024 proved competitive. The circuit demands strong aerodynamic efficiency and features a balanced mix of corner types. The SF-25 should be capable of building a lap in a consistent, well-rounded way. Ferrari may choose to exploit its strong traction in the third sector, or sacrifice it slightly to gain a better balance between the first two sectors. The direction will become clear during Friday’s sessions.
Abu Dhabi GP: A rear-limited track that will help the SF-25
Tyre management remains a delicate topic for the Maranello squad. Yas Marina places stress on the rear tyres under acceleration and on the longitudinal forces under braking. It is a textbook rear-limited circuit — a scenario that suits the SF-25 more than the demanding front-tyre requirements of Lusail. Other teams will also benefit from this characteristic, but for Ferrari it represents an opportunity to express a far more competitive level of performance.
For this reason, it is reasonable to expect a very different Ferrari compared to the one seen in Qatar. The key, as always, will be the setup work and the team’s ability to operate cleanly across the weekend. The top four teams are likely to be closely matched, and once again the decisive differences will emerge from execution, precision and consistency.
After one of the most humiliating weekends in recent memory, Ferrari has a golden chance to restore some pride under the Yas Marina floodlights. The ingredients are all there: lower pressures, a friendly layout and two drivers desperate to end the year positively. Don’t be surprised if the scarlet cars look a completely different proposition this time around.
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