Ferrari, the Real Problem with the SF-25 Is in Plain Sight. The Solution Is Still Missing…
Ferrari approached the 2025 season with sky-high expectations, fueled both by the conclusion of last year’s World Championship (lost by just 14 points to McLaren) and by Lewis Hamilton’s arrival in Maranello. The partnership with the seven-time world champion—called a “marriage with the enemy” by some—hinted that something truly special could be on the horizon, potentially putting an end to nearly two decades of suffering and a title drought.
And yet, after the first ten race weekends, it now seems clear that the Scuderia will not be fighting for the championship this year—or at least not until it fixes the real issue with the SF-25…
An illusion that didn’t last long
Friday of the Australian Grand Prix and part of the Sprint weekend (qualifying and the 100-kilometre race) in China. These are the only two occasions in which the new car was able to express its full potential. The weakness of the Ferrari is now obvious: the rear end—a section that was ironically the least altered compared to the 2024 car.
Those two moments earlier in the year were the only times Ferrari’s engineers were able to set up the car without worrying about plank wear. It’s all a matter of ride height, but also of how sensitive the car is to changes in it: the higher the floor is off the ground, the more it loses aerodynamic efficiency and downforce.
At the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne and throughout the rest of the season, performance has been limited by the need to raise the car in order to avoid what happened in Shanghai: disqualification. For the fans, the current situation is frustrating; objectively, it’s also a real shame not to have witnessed thrilling performances from Leclerc and Hamilton throughout the year. Still, there’s a faint hope that things might soon turn around…
Silverstone: The Last Chance to Save the Season
Ferrari will head to Great Britain with a significantly revised rear end, aimed at addressing the flaws seen so far.
If the update brings the desired effects, the realistic goal would be to win a few Grands Prix in an effort to salvage some pride. But beware of the boomerang effect: if even this update fails to fix the car’s structural issues, then team principal Fred Vasseur’s position could be seriously at risk for 2026.
All that remains is to wait for the Silverstone round, scheduled for the first weekend of July, to see whether the tide will turn. In the meantime, though, one thing is certain: one can only wonder how the Scuderia’s season might have gone without this problem—although history is never written with “ifs” and “buts”.
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