At the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend, the Ferrari engineers and technicians introduced a very important upgrade to the floor of the SF-25 single-seater. The new design affected the entire lower and outer section of the floor, also involving the diffuser. This intervention is part of a broader aerodynamic optimization process aimed at refining the balance between the different driving phases and improving airflow stability under the car—an essential aspect of cars based on the Venturi effect.
Particular attention was paid to the diffuser area and the central portion of the floor, which now appears slimmer and more truncated. However, according to representatives of the Prancing Horse, starting with team principal Frederic Vasseur, these are secondary changes compared to the redefinition of the entire leading edge of the floor, which is the core of this development package.
The technical description provided by the Maranello team confirms that this is not an update specifically developed for the event which was held at the 5.412-kilometre Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir last weekend. Instead, it includes a new configuration—among other parts of the “fences” and front sections of the floor—intended to serve as a foundation for further planned interventions. These changes aim to reduce downstream aerodynamic losses, while the keel section and tunnel expansion have been adapted accordingly to maintain proper load distribution along the edges and manage the vorticity generated in the diffuser.
The primary objective has been the redistribution of pressures along the floor to achieve more consistent performance across the entire speed range. The early races of the 2025 Formula 1 season had highlighted difficulties at high speeds, when the load compromised rear ride height control—something that contributed to excessive plank wear on straights. This issue became evident during the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai circuit, which led to Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification. From there arose the need to raise the car’s body, resulting in the loss of valuable downforce.
Another critical point concerns aerodynamic balance: the SF-25 car exhibited a marked tendency toward oversteer at corner entry, followed by pronounced understeer in the middle phase, directly impacting overall performance. This behavior is common to many current-generation cars. While ground effect aerodynamics are more stable than in the early seasons—thanks to reduced porpoising—they now cause a more abrupt shift in the center of pressure between braking and cornering.
During deceleration, the closer proximity of the front wing to the ground favors an immediate response from the front end. However, when the brake is released and the car levels out, the center of pressure shifts abruptly to the rear, generating understeer. In the case of the Ferrari SF-25, this change was more sudden than simulations had predicted, possibly indicating heightened sensitivity at particularly low dynamic ride heights, with a risk of floor stall at the entrance to slow corners, as explained by F1 expert Diego Catalano for formulacritica.
Ferrari SF-25: updated floor to reduce ride height sensitivity
The floor update is therefore part of an attempt to manage this aerodynamic transition more smoothly. The geometry of the Venturi tunnels, which each team develops according to its own criteria, has been revised in order to optimize the compromise between downforce and dynamic flexibility. In particular, the leading edge of the floor has been substantially modified, as has the outer area immediately beneath the undercut of the sidepod: reduced in height and featuring a wider channel toward the edge of the floor to better manage pitch.
The three vanes placed at the tunnel entry, which is one more than in the previous version, work to direct the airflow and keep it energized even during critical phases such as braking. Further back, the central section of the so-called “canoe” ends earlier, making room for a larger expansion area of the diffuser.
This configuration should provide greater resistance to stall at higher ride heights, allowing the car to operate without an extremely low ground clearance and without sacrificing downforce. This is one of the goals of the Italian engineers and technicians, who are reluctant to work on the suspension system as it would be too costly and incompatible with a Formula One context full of constraints and facing a regulatory framework that is nearing its end.
Overall, Ferrari’s first important aerodynamic update introduced this season aims to reduce divergence between setups for slow and fast corners, as well as between different dynamic phases of a lap. Although in Bahrain the effectiveness of the new floor may have been partially masked by setup choices aimed at overcoming understeer, which is necessary to manage the thermal sensitivity of the rear tires, feedback from Charles Leclerc suggests good residual potential on circuits that are less punishing in this regard.
Now the Jeddah weekend could be the ideal setting to determine whether the path taken by the aerodynamicists is the right one. The ultra-fast layout and very smooth track surface—which allows for lower ride heights—could favor a car that, in terms of top speed, has never looked out of place so far.
— see video above —
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