Why Ferrari's SF-25 was so fast in Monaco, according to a rival team boss

Why Ferrari’s SF-25 was so fast in Monaco, according to a rival team boss. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella explains why Ferrari’s SF-25 was so competitive at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Ferrari SF-25, Charles Leclerc, front wing

The speed Ferrari displayed during the Monaco GP weekend didn’t surprise everyone: a rival reveals why the Scuderia was so fast in the Principality.

After topping all three free practice sessions, many expected to see a Ferrari capable of confirming its pace in Monaco GP qualifying. The Scuderia didn’t disappoint, although pole position once again went to McLaren, with Lando Norris edging ahead of Charles Leclerc by just a few thousandths and Oscar Piastri ready to challenge the Monegasque driver.

Andrea Stella reveals why Ferrari is so fast
But what happened on the streets of Monaco didn’t completely surprise rival teams. At the end of Saturday, Andrea Stella spoke to various media outlets, including F1inGenerale. Among the topics covered, the McLaren Team Principal explained why he expected Ferrari to be competitive at the front.
“Well, to be honest, I think we were also quite fast from the beginning. Lando, in particular, showed good pace already in the first free practice session, and then Oscar started clocking purple sectors too. So, in reality, we were encouraged right away to see that the car was working well. As for Ferrari, I think traditionally they are very competitive in Monaco, so they definitely had a solid data baseline to start from,” said the McLaren Team Principal.

But the SF-25 is different from the past
Andrea Stella then analysed the areas where the SF-25 makes the difference.
“If we look, for example, at Tabac corner, Charles Leclerc is by far the fastest there, which also shows that Ferrari is very competitive but not necessarily in the same way as in the past. In previous years, they were very strong in low-speed sections, whereas this year their car seems more effective at high speeds. Maybe they’ve lost some performance in the slow corners—I’m not sure. But historically, they’ve always been strong in Monaco. And Leclerc is a true Monaco specialist. I think with this generation of cars, what used to be considered ‘medium-low speed’ is now probably ‘medium-high speed’. In some corners now, they’re really going fast. I wish I could be in the grandstands watching the cars live at Tabac corner. It must be truly impressive,” added the former Ferrari engineer.