Ferrari attempted to push the limits of the SF-25’s aerodynamic setup during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, making use of a newly introduced floor design and a revised rear suspension package. However, the car’s chronic and deeply rooted weaknesses resurfaced during the race. In an effort to avoid excessive and potentially disqualifying wear of the wooden plank underneath the car, the engineering team made the decision to raise the tyre pressures and to reduce the engine power output. These adjustments ultimately compromised performance and left Charles Leclerc with a disappointing fourth-place finish, far from what the team had hoped for after securing pole position.
There was initial excitement within the team and among fans, followed by a sharp downfall that dashed expectations. The pole position secured by Charles Leclerc in Hungary gave the illusion that Ferrari might finally be ready to claim its first Grand Prix victory of the 2025 Formula 1 season with the SF-25. That pole appeared symbolic, almost like a celebration of team principal Frédéric Vasseur’s contract renewal, and a potential confirmation that the Italian team was genuinely regaining momentum. It offered hope not only of successfully defending second place in the Constructors’ Championship standings, but also of mounting a credible challenge to the McLaren team, which at that stage of the season appeared to be within reach and not entirely unbeatable.
That illusion lasted until lap 40 of the race, when Charles Leclerc, who had been leading the Grand Prix up to that point, came into the pits for his second scheduled stop. He was fitted with another set of hard compound tyres, but from that moment onward, his performance dropped dramatically—by nearly two full seconds per lap—marking a clear turning point in the race.
In reality, Charles Leclerc had already realised earlier during the race that he would be unable to retain the lead from the McLaren drivers. The “papaya”-coloured cars showed superior race pace and were executing a well-calculated and coordinated tactical strategy. Australian driver Oscar Piastri was running a two-stop strategy that mirrored Charles Leclerc’s approach, while British driver Lando Norris opted for a one-stop approach. Together, their differing strategies effectively boxed Ferrari in with a well-executed pincer movement that limited the Monegasque’s options. Charles Leclerc also suspected that even the third step of the podium might slip through his fingers, and soon found himself unable to defend against the charge of George Russell in the Mercedes. Desperate to salvage a better result and under increasing pressure, Charles Leclerc attempted a risky late-braking manoeuvre at Turn 1, which resulted in a deserved and indisputable five-second time penalty.
So, what exactly went wrong for Ferrari? A recurring and deeply concerning issue with the SF-25 reappeared during the Hungarian Grand Prix. Whenever the engineers seek to extract maximum performance from the car, they are forced to configure it with an extremely low ride height. This setup boosts aerodynamic downforce significantly, but it also causes excessive and potentially illegal wear to the wooden plank beneath the car—a component strictly regulated by the FIA and monitored to prevent teams from gaining unfair aerodynamic advantages.
The new rear suspension of the SF-25 was developed and implemented with two key objectives in mind. First, to reduce the excessive wear of the wooden plank, which is only permitted to wear by a maximum of 1 millimetre from its original 10-millimetre thickness. Second, to improve the car’s stability and handling under braking, thereby giving both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton greater confidence when pushing the limits on track.
While the suspension upgrade partially addressed the braking instability, it did not succeed in solving the plank wear issue. A similar scenario had occurred earlier in the season, during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. Lewis Hamilton had taken a surprise pole position in the sprint race and went on to dominate and win in impressive fashion over the 100-kilometre sprint distance, outpacing even the McLaren drivers. That performance seemed to mark the start of a potential comeback story for the seven-time Formula 1 world champion. However, an FIA warning soon followed: the technical delegates noted abnormal plank wear and advised the Scuderia to take corrective measures. That warning, however, went largely unheeded, and after Lewis Hamilton finished only seventh in the main Grand Prix, he was disqualified due to excessive wear on the plank underneath the car.
The root of the problem had already surfaced during post-season testing in Abu Dhabi at the end of the previous year. Ferrari’s SF-25 was highly competitive and aerodynamically efficient when running very close to the ground. But as soon as the ride height was increased—even by just a few millimetres—the car lost significant aerodynamic downforce and became far less competitive on the track. Although the car had shown promising data and performance figures in the wind tunnel, those results were not being replicated during actual race weekends.
The issue flared up again at the Spanish Grand Prix in early June, once more involving Lewis Hamilton. To avoid another disqualification and further controversy, the team made the decision to drastically increase the tyre pressures, which in turn raised the ride height of the car. However, that made the SF-25 much harder to drive, especially for a driver like Lewis Hamilton who is known for his precision. Hamilton was vocal in his radio communications, expressing strong dissatisfaction with the car’s poor handling and overall drivability.
The same chronic problems reappeared at the Hungarian Grand Prix, indicating that even five months of development work had not produced a definitive or lasting solution. At Maranello, merely settling for second place in the Constructors’ Championship—something that might still be achievable with a slightly more conservative and less extreme car—was not considered a satisfactory outcome. Ferrari is aiming to break its frustrating and prolonged winless streak, especially as both Red Bull Racing and Mercedes have already managed to secure at least one Grand Prix victory each so far during the 2025 Formula 1 season.
In some earlier races, the engineers had mitigated the issue by instructing the drivers to use “lift and coast” techniques at the end of the long straights—zones where the car generates the highest downforce values. By lifting off the throttle earlier and braking gently, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton could avoid compressing the suspension too much and prevent the plank from scraping excessively against the asphalt. This technique also helped with brake temperature management and fuel efficiency, ensuring that the car could reach the chequered flag without the risk of running out of fuel.
However, in Hungary, this strategy was not employed. Instead, Ferrari’s engineering team advised Charles Leclerc to adjust a setting on the steering wheel’s engine map control—not just to manage fuel consumption more effectively, but also to reduce the overall power output from the power unit. This adjustment was aimed at protecting the plank from further degradation that could risk a post-race disqualification.
The first instance of engine power reduction occurred as early as lap 9 of the Grand Prix, resulting in a measurable and significant drop of 9 kilometres per hour in top speed at the two fastest points on the circuit. This performance loss is clearly visible and documented in the telemetry data collected by the team during the race.
Further into the Grand Prix, this reduced-power engine mode was used again, but even that was not sufficient to bring the car’s parameters within the acceptable limits defined by the FIA regulations. As a last resort, during the final pit stop, the engineers increased the tyre pressures, which in turn raised the ride height slightly. However, this change came at the expense of performance. Charles Leclerc was left struggling in a car that was extremely difficult to drive, lacked the necessary aerodynamic grip and engine power, and could no longer mount a serious challenge for a podium position.
Meanwhile, the technical department at Ferrari—now fully focused on the development of next year’s Formula 1 car, which is internally codenamed Project 678, must also decide how best to approach the second half of the 2025 Formula 1 championship season. One thing is clear: the Achilles’ heel of the current SF-25 racing car has not disappeared, and unless a solution is found quickly, it may continue to hinder Ferrari’s hopes of returning to the top step of the podium.
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