The third spherical of the 2025 Components 1 World Championship is going down in Japan, on the Suzuka circuit, one of the demanding venues for each drivers and vehicles. The practically 6 km of monitor and its 18 corners present a transparent perception into automotive efficiency, which requires steadiness and effectivity to be fast. Effectivity is one thing Ferrari doesn’t appear to lack, however the SF-25 nonetheless isn’t on par with McLaren in Japan, even when it’s displaying indicators of progress.
The Japanese GP may have been one of many worst for the Prancing Horse’s automotive, regardless of the abundance of high-speed corners. Lengthy-radius corners have truly helped Ferrari, which with its setup has proven nice stability in Sector 1. A flat platform achieved by way of a quite stiff rear finish.
The rear finish has undergone stiffening — a countermeasure chosen by Ferrari to attempt to restrict plank put on and keep away from one other humiliating disqualification. The SF-25 is at present coping with a “brief blanket,” stopping it from expressing its full potential.
Did Lewis Hamilton expose the SF-25’s issues?
Lewis Hamilton, who completed eighth in Japanese GP qualifying, spoke to the media about how the SF-25 felt over Suzuka’s 5.8 km. His automotive, set up differently from Charles Leclerc’s, suffered from understeer. The British champion additionally confirmed that he and the staff selected to lift the automotive’s trip peak — a measure ensuing from the disqualification in China on account of extreme plank put on, geared toward constructing in a margin of security earlier than parc fermé.
This motion is often accompanied by stiffer suspension settings, useful for sustaining the minimal trip peak margin. This explains a number of of Ferrari’s points, from understeer to the lack of downforce at low speeds.
All the pieces appears to level again to the difficulty we had already speculated about in Australia. A scenario the place the SF-25 wants a brand new bump cease and extra progressive suspension settings to keep away from fully blocking the automotive’s potential. The primary corrective measures put in on the SF-25 appear to have proven the route, however not the answer — which continues to be in improvement. The automotive’s behaviour improved from Friday to Saturday, with a larger skill to trip the curbs with out extreme jolts. Nevertheless, driving by way of the hairpin in the midst of Sector 2 highlighted the understeer of the SF-25, attributable to a rear finish that pushes an excessive amount of.
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