Crucial work on the brand new Ferrari is the one that can not be seen. The Maranello workforce has closely centered on the mechanical elements of the SF-25, reorganizing inside packaging to unencumber house for the aerodynamics division. Regardless of the numerous modifications, technical director Loic Serra isn’t frightened that the workforce would require an extended studying interval than its rivals to grasp the right way to exploit the brand new automotive. Quite the opposite, the modifications goal to speed up the automotive’s progress with deliberate updates.
The work beneath the floor
“The principle purpose of the SF-25 mission was to unencumber house to push growth, each aerodynamically and total,” 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 house 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 automobiles, the whole lot is so optimized that while you transfer one part, you then should shift the whole lot else. You may’t say that the principle problem was with the entrance suspension or elsewhere. In actuality, while you begin altering one thing, it units off a sequence response that results in altering the whole lot. I might say the largest problem was within the total compromise.”
The brand new Ferrari encompasses 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 pressure behind the mission.” One of many standout modifications in the SF-25 is the swap to a pull-rod entrance suspension, however the vital slimming of the sidepods can also be notable, indicating a extra compact radiator and inside parts regardless of the decreased house attributable to the cockpit repositioning. The French engineer continues: “On these automobiles, the satan is within the particulars. All of us speak in regards to the entrance suspension as a result of it’s the seen tip of the iceberg. Nevertheless, a lot of the elements on the automotive are new, and it’s not essentially essentially the most seen ones which have the largest impression.”
Evolution, not revolution
The inversion of the SF-25’s entrance suspension raises the query of whether or not the workforce would require a studying interval, reminiscent of adjusting setup decisions to regulate the ground’s trip peak. Nevertheless, Loic Serra reassures: “The automotive is a continuation of the earlier one. We’ve modified many parts—most of them—however by way of efficiency, the final idea stays the identical. That’s why I don’t anticipate a steeper studying curve than final yr.”
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, reminiscent of optimizing flooring aerodynamics for race situations with a full gas load. The brand new technical director doesn’t foresee a very lengthy studying interval and as an alternative believes that the house freed up across the chassis and bodywork will yield higher good points with updates: “The hope is that the event tempo shall 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 2026
The continued growth work in Maranello isn’t solely centered on updates for the SF-25, because the workforce should additionally push ahead with the 2026 mission. “The 2025 season shall be fairly difficult,” admits Loic Serra. “We must develop two automobiles, two very completely different animals, in the identical yr. The 2026 rules are fairly completely 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 growth curve. Balancing work between the 2 tasks shall be very troublesome.”
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