The fake story about Ferrari's extreme wet set-up that became clear on Sunday

After yesterday’s result and performance in the Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari reiterated the issues with the SF-25, a Formula 1 car that is currently not performing properly. There was quite a bit of anticipation for the Prancing Horse. This is evidenced by the crowds seen at the Fiorano circuit a few weeks ago, with Lewis Hamilton’s debut behind the wheel of the SF-23 and the first filming day of the season with the new car. The excitement was through the roof, but it started to wane during Saturday’s qualifying session and then completely faded the following day, alongside the dreadful race from the Red car.

Positions don’t matter, but race pace does. Before focusing on this main issue, it is worth pointing out that Charles Leclerc took responsibility for his mistake. We are referring to the spin in the second part of the race, which cost him several positions. A problem not entirely his, as, by looking at the telemetry, it is clear that the Monegasque driver didn’t do anything different from the previous lap. The real issue was more related to the deteriorating track conditions, which further reduced the car’s grip.

Still, a very mature attitude from the Monegasque driver in front of the F1 microphones. Charles Leclerc claims that without that “spin,” he could have finished fourth or even on the podium. We won’t say that’s untrue. However, assuming that what the Ferrari driver claims had indeed happened, what would have changed? Without a doubt, earning more points and reaching the third step of the podium would have been beneficial. That’s clearly true.

But was that Ferrari’s goal for the 2025 Formula 1 season? Scrambling for a third place using the Safety Car? What really matters, beyond the result, is the poor race pace shown by the SF-25 cars, which were completely incapable of fighting at the front. At least two seconds slower than the McLarens: embarrassing. It’s unacceptable, and this is where we need to start from, not from the missed third place or Charles Leclerc’s lack of focus.

In the end, it rained at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, as had been expected for some time thanks to weather forecasts available from Meteo France. Even on a wet track surface, the SF-25 continued to underperform. In fact, it managed to do worse than on Saturday on dry conditions. Yet, the most widespread rumor was that the team had sacrificed qualifying to focus on the race, which was supposed to be wet: “extreme wet set-up,” they had said. First of all, let’s clarify one thing. We do so with the direct involvement of the key figures.

Nowadays, in Formula 1, there are no huge differences between a wet set-up and a dry set-up. Those with a good memory will recall Carlos Sainz‘s comments from last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix. We quote him directly: “The truth is that nowadays there is no such thing as a wet set-up. There’s just the brake duct, which you tweak to modify the tire temperatures. Then that’s it.” These were the exact words of the Spaniard when he was driving the SF-24 last year.

As a side note, let’s reflect. It is objectively true that a more loaded rear wing helps reduce the car’s sliding. However, Ferrari did not choose the rear wing specification on Thursday with Sunday in mind. The decision for a more loaded wing is strategic, to follow the procedure already implemented last year, namely to optimize the balance around a stable rear load value.

There was also talk of increased ride heights. At this point, we cannot rule out that some adjustments were indeed made, as it is always crucial over the weekend to avoid problems with the skid block thickness. However, this factor is completely unrelated to the idea that such a change was made to create an extreme wet set-up. Then there is the mechanical issue, which is also incorrect.

It was said that Ferrari, in an effort to support the extreme set-up goal, had chosen to generally soften the car’s suspension. The reality is different, as with rain, such changes are no longer made from this perspective. And we believe that this was made crystal clear yesterday. What would the supposed benefits of these choices made by Ferrari be?

Going two seconds per lap slower than McLaren? Not being able to pass a Williams? Finishing behind Lance Stroll? Scoring as many points as Sauber’s Mattia Binotto with only Nico Hulkenberg? One last thing: the rain was expected for everyone. Ferrari did not have a conversation with Nostradamus, acquiring this information exclusively. Every team knew about it. And look at that, without the extreme wet set-up, McLaren and Red Bull were more stable and faster, even with the famous “dry” set-up. What a mystery.