Ferrari’s season has exposed a troubling gap between simulations and Sunday performance, nowhere more starkly than in Baku, where a promising Friday gave way to a slump in qualifying and the race. It looked like a familiar weekend-execution story — but deeper technical causes are at play with the SF-25.
A rear-suspension pivot with unintended consequences
Technical director Loïc Serra redirected development towards vehicle dynamics, prioritising rear-suspension changes over already planned aerodynamic updates. The goal was to reduce aero sensitivity to ride-height changes and give the car a more stable platform. The trade-off, as seen by Singapore, is a machine increasingly unresponsive to set-up changes — and one that defaults to understeer.
Charles Leclerc called late-Q3 set-up swings "stupid" as Ferrari sought front-end bite at the cost of a looser rear. When the simulator’s assumptions match real track grip and temperature, the car can shine; when they don’t, the set-up window resists adjustment.
Aerodynamics sidelined at the wrong time
While work focused on suspension, at least two underfloor updates were reportedly deferred, leaving the aero group largely on the sidelines. In a season where the top ten are often covered by less than two-tenths — and where Lewis Hamilton’s P12 in Baku was only three-tenths off pole — extracting half a tenth via set-up can be worth multiple grid spots. Cars must be responsive within a weekend; McLaren and a resurgent Red Bull are the models. The SF-25, a radical evolution with pull-rod front suspension aimed at peak performance, appears to be the opposite: fast in a narrow window, stubborn outside it.
Elkann’s message: this is personal
Against this backdrop, chairman John Elkann addressed shareholders and fans with a fiery pledge to restore Ferrari’s standing, calling the mission a "personal matter". The commitment is clear: unite leadership and engineering around a car philosophy that adapts quickly, frees the aero to evolve, and converts raw potential into repeatable results.
The road back
- Rebalance development between dynamics and aero.
- Broaden the set-up window to exploit tightly bunched fields.
- Align leadership urgency with a car concept built for variability.
Ferrari has rarely lacked speed. In 2025, it needs speed that travels.
