SF-25: key features of new Ferrari car as innovations not limited to front pull-rod suspension
02/18/2025 06:52 PM
We now have the first images of the Ferrari SF-25 single-seater: this is the car that must bring the Maranello tea back to the Formula 1 world title in the 2025 season. After eighteen long years of waiting, the Prancing Horse has everything needed to dethrone Max Verstappen from the drivers’ championship and McLaren from the Constructors’ title.
There are no more excuses: the Maranello team has bet on a Dream Team with Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time Formula 1 world champion, alongside Charles Leclerc. It is a stellar driver pairing that must aim for both championships, no ifs or buts. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has been able to shape the working group as he wanted, bringing in two former Mercedes figures: Loic Serra as technical director and Jérôme D'Ambrosio as deputy team principal.
Everything is in place to win
Furthermore, the Ferrari Racing Division has upgraded its facilities: this red car is the first to be developed in Renzo Piano's wind tunnel, revised and improved with the adoption of a rolling road that is no longer metal-based but made of rubberized material. This is an important change, as it allows the aerodynamics team, led by Diego Tondi, to develop floors that run closer to the track surface, therefore generating more downforce. Additionally, Lorenzo Giorgetti, the skilled sponsorship manager under chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna, has filled every inch of the car's bodywork with prestigious and generous partners, ensuring strong financial support for the racing activities.
Matte red with the return of white
In short, the French manager begins the final year of ground-effect cars with everything needed to aim for the top: second place will be seen as a failure. And this evening, right after the unveiling of the matte red livery with the return of white, at the dazzling O2 Arena in London, where Formula 1 celebrated its 75th anniversary, Ferrari shared images of the SF-25 on its social media channels.
99% new
Frederic Vasseur had already hinted that this would be a 99% new car, marking a clean break from the SF-24. This is proof that Ferrari believes in it and does not want to follow the original plan of president John Elkann, who was willing to wait for the 2026 Formula 1 regulation changes to aim for the title. Some teams will introduce carryover cars, meaning a 2024-based chassis with a new aerodynamic package in order to allocate budget cap resources to next year’s agile F1 car.
Loic Serra and the all-Italian technical team
Not Ferrari, which began redesigning its championship contender last summer under the leadership of Enrico Cardile. The Italian engineer left for Aston Martin after a turbulent departure, and the project was then developed by a cohesive group of Italian engineers: Diego Tondi (Head of Aerodynamics), Fabio Montecchi (Chief Project Engineer), Marco Adurno (Head of Vehicle Performance), Diego Ioverno (sporting director), and Matteo Togninalli (Head of Track Engineering).
In October, the Frenchman Loic Serra joined the team, but he didn't completely overhaul the 677 project; however, he made a significant contribution to ensure a car with greater adjustment opportunities so that the SF-25, like the McLaren MCL38, could aim to be a versatile car.
Longer chassis in front of the cockpit
This Ferrari has a completely different layout: the chassis is new not only because it houses the front pull-rod suspension but also because it has been lengthened by about 25 millimeters at the front. The technicians and engineers at Ferrari conducted a careful study on the best way to distribute the masses in accordance with the weight distribution defined by the FIA regulations. The trend is to shift more weight to the rear in an attempt to find a good balance between slow corners and high-speed corners, where the SF-24 struggled.
Shorter gearbox
The carbon gearbox casing has also been redesigned and is expected to be shorter than the corresponding value of the longer chassis. In the end, Lewis Hamilton finds in Ferrari the more rearward driving position he had been asking for at Mercedes but never received as he had hoped.
Front pull-rod suspension for aerodynamics
The front suspension follows a pull-rod layout not for mechanical reasons (despite the fact that there is a reduction in weight because the internal linkages have been moved lower), but for aerodynamic reasons. The tie rod is subjected to less stress than the push rod and, therefore, is smaller and less rigid. Additionally, its position (high on the hub carrier and low at the attachment to the chassis) allows for a more efficient airflow towards the underfloor.
Steering arm remains in front
However, at Maranello, they did not follow McLaren's lead, which had the courage to move the steering arm behind the lower triangle: instead, the box remained in front, creating a flow with the front arm of the lower triangle. It's worth noting that the pull-rod is not a completely new solution for Ferrari, as it was used on the SF-15T in 2015, and now it makes a comeback after 10 years. The upper triangle has a more inclined rear arm, but it hasn't exaggerated the anti-dive as McLaren did.
Nose now sleeker
The nose has been slimmed down at the tip, which now rests on the second element to reduce drag, while the front wing represents the flexible flaps, which, starting from the Spanish Grand Prix, will have more regulatory constraints and will need to be redesigned. The solution shown in the renderings is similar to the one used at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Central wing like McLaren
The sidepods are the result of great refinement: a prominent visor has appeared at the radiator intake, on which the mirror support rests. The horizontal opening seems decidedly narrower, due to the long vertical slit already seen last year. The result is that the sidepod is much more excavated at the bottom, significantly increasing the airflow to the floor. At the top, there is a hint of a duct that becomes deeper towards the rear, and the design is accentuated by a rounded external ridge.
The bargeboard with serration
The floor is already an evolution of the experimental one seen intermittently on the SF-24: the bargeboard, which closes the Venturi channel on the outside, features a sort of crest with four teeth at the first descending part that will act as vortex generators. The second of the four flow deviators, which divide the channels, remains very protruding, both in height and in extension.
The airbox remains triangular
The conventional component remains the airscope, which stays triangular since this red car does not have the radiators in the upper part of the engine. The engine cover is very streamlined and does not show the usual vertical drift, because there are small openings on the crest that help expel hot air, while just behind the camera, there is a small intake for the clutch.
Very cleaned-up engine cover
On the sides of the Halo, there are the "cobra" flaps, which have been copied from McLaren, while there is much attention to the bazooka, which appears a little more streamlined, with only one visible exhaust at the end of the diagonal white stripe. The idea is that the red car is also seeking efficiency, re-examining every detail obsessively to gain a small performance advantage in each aspect.
Rear remains pull, but kinematics change
The rear suspension remains pull-rod: even though the layout does not change, the kinematics have been redesigned to improve traction grip. Serra made a concrete contribution in this area to define the bars and dampers. The brakes adopt the 2024 Brembo system, which has not been modified, remaining one of the few carryover parts.
Rear wing with Mercedes idea
The rear wing features a classic mono-pylon support, while the main white profile has a central V that combines with a medium-load flap. But it's interesting to note that the lateral attachments of the movable wing are similar to the concept proposed by the Mercedes W15, with a noticeable diagonal exhaust. The beam wing is in two elements: the lower one for downforce and the upper one flat.
— see video above —
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