Ferrari’s Ride Height Struggles Become an Open Secret After Dutch Grand Prix Disaster
Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur expected the Dutch Grand Prix to be a difficult challenge, but few inside Maranello could have imagined leaving Zandvoort with a double retirement and no points on the board. For the first time in 31 races, both Scuderia drivers failed to reach the chequered flag, highlighting the growing list of concerns surrounding the Ferrari SF-25.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc saw their afternoons end at the same part of the circuit. The Briton, pushing to close in on George Russell, lost control of his Ferrari on the damp banking of Turn 3, clipping the tyre barrier and retiring from a Grand Prix for the first time in his Ferrari career. Just 30 laps later, Charles Leclerc’s hopes were also dashed after Andrea Kimi Antonelli attempted an optimistic move into Turn 3, spinning the Monegasque into the outside wall. The Ferrari driver was left sitting in the Zandvoort dunes, visibly dejected as the Tifosi watched in silence.
Antonelli later apologised, but the headlines from the Netherlands were clear: Ferrari not only left empty-handed but also looked far from competitive. In practice, the team’s pace suggested they were only the fourth-fastest outfit, behind Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes. For a team with championship ambitions, the performance gulf was impossible to ignore.
Why Ferrari’s 2025 Formula 1 Problems Are Now an Open Secret
F1 journalist Andrew Benson explained during the Dutch GP weekend that the underlying issue is no longer a mystery to rival teams. According to him, it has become an “open secret” that Ferrari’s biggest weakness revolves around ride height management. The SF-25 delivers its strongest performance when running extremely low to the ground, but doing so leads to excessive wear on the floor skid plank. Running higher avoids damage, but it robs the car of crucial downforce and balance, leaving Ferrari trapped in a performance compromise.
The problem surfaced dramatically at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc was forced to back off on the straights after the team raised tyre pressures to protect the floor. Ferrari admitted indirectly that floor wear was dictating strategy, even if they avoided spelling it out. The Monegasque driver later acknowledged that the issue would likely persist all season, though the team would attempt to “manage it differently.” In reality, this means Ferrari face a constant balancing act: push aggressively and risk damaging the car, or settle for a more conservative pace that leaves them vulnerable to faster rivals.
Ferrari’s Suspension and Set-Up Gamble at Zandvoort
The rear suspension package has been another Achilles’ heel for Ferrari in 2025. While a key update was introduced at the Belgian GP, questions lingered about its effectiveness. Hamilton spun out during sprint qualifying in Spa, though he recovered to P7 in the main race. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc salvaged Ferrari pride with a podium finish, his fifth of the campaign.
Hungary looked more promising as Charles Leclerc snatched pole position, but strategic calls and tyre management again cost Ferrari a potential victory. When the team raised tyre pressures late in the race, the Monegasque’s pace collapsed, dropping him off the podium.
Arriving in the Netherlands, Ferrari engineers opted to completely reconfigure the SF-25 set-up in a desperate attempt to reduce the ride height without excessive plank wear. Yet the experiment backfired in practice, with Leclerc describing it as his “worst Friday” of the season. While the changes allowed the car to run lower, they exposed new limitations in balance and tyre degradation that carried through the weekend.
What Ferrari Can Take Into Monza
Despite the double DNF at Zandvoort, there are fragments of optimism. Telemetry suggested Ferrari made incremental progress in addressing their ride height issues, and Fred Vasseur’s team believe the lessons learned could be pivotal as Formula 1 heads to Monza. The Italian Grand Prix represents more than just Ferrari’s home race — it is an opportunity to reassure fans that Hamilton and Leclerc can still fight at the front, even if the championship is slipping away.
With nine rounds remaining, Ferrari know they cannot realistically catch Red Bull in either the F1 Drivers’ Championship or the Constructors’ standings. However, consistent podiums and strong performances would keep them ahead of Mercedes and McLaren in the battle for second place. More importantly, proving that the SF-25 can finally run at its intended ride height without reliability or plank wear concerns could shape the direction of Ferrari’s 2026 car development.
For now, the Scuderia Ferrari ride height dilemma has become a well-known secret in the paddock, and until it is solved, every Grand Prix weekend will feel like damage limitation rather than a genuine title fight.
