February 19, 2025, will remain one of the most important days in Formula 1 history, as Lewis Hamilton made his debut with his first Ferrari at Fiorano. A day that featured the SF-25 as the main protagonist, the new single-seater that will compete in the 2025 championship. The Ferrari SF-25 already excited fans at Fiorano today with its fastest lap recorded in the morning, which, however, hides a precise motivation.
The new single-seater of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc seems to have been born under the best auspices. On a cold February morning, the Scuderia’s “prince” was the first to get behind the wheel of the car that, until a few weeks ago, was known as the 677. After seeing its shapes and colors unveiled last night, many flocked to Fiorano to see it live. The Italian media was present on track to closely follow the activity of the new Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton.
It was a special day for everyone, with many fans hoping for a return to winning the drivers’ and constructors’ world titles. The SF-25’s starting foundation seems promising, with a lot of potential to be extracted and understood due to the new front pull-rod suspension. A single-seater that has undergone mechanical revolution and aerodynamic refinement. The SF-25 presents many differences and innovations compared to the “old” SF-24 that raced until mid-December.
Despite the event being a simple filming day, enthusiasts, onlookers, and industry insiders kept an eye on the stopwatch to understand how fast the SF-25 was. A relatively insignificant operation, considering the car’s early stage and, above all, the weather conditions.
Ferrari SF-25 one second faster at Fiorano compared to the SF-24?
The recorded times saw Charles Leclerc setting a best lap of 56.0 (to be confirmed). A striking reference if we consider the track record of 55.9 held by the F2004, but it is misleading. The SF-25 reportedly completed several fast laps, obviously far from the limit, for a very specific reason. F1inGenerale has learned that behind these numerous fast laps was the intention to verify the absence of bouncing on the short straight but especially in the long and medium-speed corners of Fiorano.
The Maranello-owned track is certainly not the ideal place to check this, but a combination of a soft setup and reduced ride height can help. A setup confirmed by the numerous sparks seen coming from Charles Leclerc’s SF-25 in the morning.
It seems that in Maranello, they have found a rather accurate correlation between the track and the simulator, allowing them to verify the presence (or absence) of bouncing in the newborn car. Ferrari now heads to Bahrain aware that its initial package matches the simulations and that it must accumulate many kilometers to fully understand the 677 project.
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