F1, Ferrari SF-25: updates on shifting mechanical grip to the rear end

02/07/2025 07:59 AM

Ferrari is almost ready with the SF-25 single-seater, the latest creation in Formula 1. On-track performance is the combination of parameters that must be correctly aligned. An important consideration that fits into today’s topic regarding the Maranello team’s car for the 2025 Formula 1 championship, which is expected to finally bring the title back to Maranello after almost two decades. Italian single-seaters designed under the regulatory framework governing wing cars have generally always shown a good level of traction. In fact, the F1-75 and SF-23 were kings of this characteristic, being able to express, throughout the entire racing season on all calendar tracks, this crucial distinctive feature.

In the past season, however, referring to the vice-champion car, the SF-24, we saw a weaker force in this area. All this while other cars closed the gap with the Red car and, in several scenarios, produced more efficient acceleration phases. Looking back at the changes made by the Ferrari engineers and technicians from the 2024 to the 2025 World Championship, we can say that a step forward has been made on the front end. A very solid front end, on which the team has worked a lot, but which, in turn, has slightly shifted the mechanical balance.

Although it can be said that overall this balance has improved, pure traction has, in part, suffered. In about two weeks, the new car of the Italian team will be presented in Maranello. We will be there. The unveiling will take place on social media, followed by a shakedown on the Fiorano track, allowing the general public to observe, with the naked eye, the new forms of the Ferrari F1 car. A highly anticipated event, as the Italian side that will take part in the 2025 racing season, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the wheel, wants to remove the annoying zero from the title column.

A period of abstinence that is quite heavy. Meanwhile the team’s “transformation” is nearly complete. Several technicians and engineers have left the Maranello factory, while others have arrived. But most importantly the mentality has changed, the working methods have evolved, and at the same time, the desire to make an impact has grown. Last season for Ferrari is seen as the prelude to success. It still required a small step upwards, according to the numbers, to be able to compete for both World Championships until the end of the 2025 season, leaving nothing to chance. The time is said to be right. Only the track, however, will tell us if it is all true.

The SF-25 has been further developed from a mechanical standpoint. The winter updates come based on the data gathered during the past season by the department dedicated to vehicle dynamics. The goal, this was the aim, was to “unlock” more potential regarding traction. This across all the vehicle’s operating conditions. At this point, it's worth recalling one aspect: during 2024, we saw several situations where the mechanical balance was completely compromised.

The reason was clear: finding a balance absent between the two axes caused by some issues affecting the SF-24. This is why the target of project 677, based on the data, was to find an even better compromise on this fundamental element. Here is a clearer and smoother version of the sentence: In practice, the goal is to provide the Red car with a solid foundation to refine the mechanical conditions and make it easier, or at least feasible, to optimize the car in every competitive scenario from a technical point of view.

When a driver gets into an F1 car, their feedback will never highlight an excess of traction. It couldn’t be otherwise. To improve this element, it must be said that the main parameter concerns the so-called “squat” of the rear suspension. “Squat” refers to the mere lowering of the rear suspension system relative to the vertical axis. However, there are complications in producing this proximity to the reference plane through vertical movement. First of all, this movement must be generated without rotations relative to other axles.

If this were not the case, the characteristic angles of the wheel would be modified during dynamic phases, which would result in an overall detrimental effect. Squat is achieved by appropriately tilting the two wishbones of the rear suspension. These methods do not reduce load transfer but affect its percentage that passes through internal elastic components and rigid elements such as the arms. The higher its value, the less the internal elements are activated. This is why there are pros and cons to adopting a certain level of anti-squat.

This is why engineers always look for a better compromise. Furthermore, the situation does not solely concern mechanical grip. The issue is much broader. A lower squat value in the suspension helps reduce height variations and, in theory, indirectly improves the stability of the aerodynamic platform. The underside of Formula 1 cars actually has a narrow range of values concerning distances from the track surface in which it generates maximum vertical downforce. And, of course, various tests are conducted to understand how the degree of squat affects traction.

The engineers and technicians at Ferrari have sought the highest squat value that would not negatively impact the car's dynamics, especially in the faster sections, where otherwise a tendency toward oversteer would be generated. This brings us back to the 2024 Formula 1 racing season, where the two Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz often suffered from excessive rotation at high speeds. A behavior that only partially suited the drivers’ driving style, while in other cases it complicated the car’s handling and affected performance.

In the search for better traction, Ferrari’s designers modified the migration of the mechanical balance between the front and rear during the car's different dynamic phases. During acceleration, when exiting a corner, the ideal would be a mechanical balance shifted toward the front end. This aspect implies greater stiffness at the front, where the rear end is capable of producing a higher level of grip. On this specific parameter, the Italian team has made great efforts, convinced that it would provide the SF-25 with a strengthened competitive status.

To achieve this and provide more grip to the rear end, the new Ferrari F1 car has indeed made targeted modifications to some elements, but not necessarily to the individual squat parameter. An aspect they were satisfied with and that should remain quite similar to that of the SF-24. As mentioned earlier, the quality of the car’s performance is a sum of several combined criteria. Keeping this crucial point in mind, Ferrari has correctly combined the parameters to achieve superior performance. Improving the flaws without sacrificing what already worked, in short.

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