Crucial work on the brand new Ferrari is the one that can not be seen. The Maranello group has closely targeted on the mechanical facets of the SF-25, reorganizing inner packaging to unencumber area for the aerodynamics division. Regardless of the various adjustments, technical director Loic Serra shouldn’t be apprehensive that the group would require an extended studying interval than its rivals to grasp the best way to exploit the brand new automotive. Quite the opposite, the modifications purpose to speed up the automotive’s development with deliberate updates.
The work beneath the floor “The primary objective of the SF-25 undertaking was to unencumber area to push improvement, each aerodynamically and general,” explains Loic Serra. “The SF-24 was fairly aggressive on the finish of the season, however updating and discovering efficiency was turning into more and more troublesome, so we needed to create area to speed up the event tempo.” Ferrari’s method mirrors what Andrea Stella described for McLaren, beginning with an optimization of the automotive’s structure to permit higher room for aerodynamic interventions.
The work has affected the whole automotive, as Loic Serra explains: “On these vehicles, every part is so optimized that if you transfer one element, you then must shift every part else. You may’t say that the primary issue was with the entrance suspension or elsewhere. In actuality, if you begin altering one thing, it units off a series response that results in altering every part. I’d say the largest problem was within the general compromise.”
The brand new Ferrari includes a driving place moved again by a few centimeters, mixed with a barely longer wheelbase, as confirmed by Loic Serra: “There are small updates in that space, however they’re actually minimal and never the driving power behind the undertaking.” One of many standout adjustments within the SF-25 is the change to a pull-rod entrance suspension, however the important slimming of the sidepods can also be notable, indicating a extra compact radiator and inner elements regardless of the diminished area brought on by the cockpit repositioning. The French engineer continues: “On these vehicles, the satan is within the particulars. All of us discuss in regards to the entrance suspension as a result of it’s the seen tip of the iceberg. Nonetheless, a lot of the elements on the automotive are new, and it’s not essentially essentially the most seen ones which have the largest influence.”
Evolution, not revolution The inversion of the SF-25’s entrance suspension raises the query of whether or not the group would require a studying interval, resembling adjusting setup selections to regulate the ground’s experience peak. Nonetheless, Loic Serra reassures: “The automotive is a continuation of the earlier one. We’ve modified many elements—most of them—however when it comes to efficiency, the overall idea stays the identical. That’s why I don’t anticipate a steeper studying curve than final 12 months.”
The brand new Ferrari evolves previous design ideas, aiming for higher stability in medium-to-high-speed and long-radius corners. Past that, nonetheless, the SF-25 will function equally to its predecessor, resembling optimizing flooring aerodynamics for race circumstances with a full gas load. The brand new technical director doesn’t foresee a very lengthy studying interval and as a substitute believes that the area freed up across the chassis and bodywork will yield higher positive aspects with updates: “The hope is that the event tempo will probably be sooner than on the finish of final season, however I don’t essentially anticipate the automotive to be managed in a different way.”
Looking forward to 2026The ongoing improvement work in Maranello shouldn’t be solely targeted on updates for the SF-25, because the group should additionally push ahead with the 2026 undertaking. “The 2025 season will probably be fairly difficult,” admits Loic Serra. “We should develop two vehicles, two very totally different animals, in the identical 12 months. The 2026 rules are fairly totally different as a result of they have an effect on the engine, chassis, and even the tires. Will probably be an enormous problem. We’ve an SF-25 the place each millisecond will depend, whereas for the 2026 automotive, we now have a clean sheet with a really steep improvement curve. Balancing work between the 2 initiatives will probably be very troublesome.”
Feb 20, 2025
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