Ferrari Technical Director Loic Serra has explained the thinking behind radical concept changes on the team’s 2025 Formula 1 car.
After finishing just 14 points shy of the Constructors’ Championship last season and entering the final year of a rules cycle, one could forgive Ferrari for adopting a quiet evolution of the SF-24 with its new creation, the SF-25.
That is not the case however as Ferrari has teased that the SF-25, which hit the track for the first time on Wednesday, is a “completely new car” with a marquee change coming in the form of the front-suspension layout.
For the first time since 2015, Ferrari has adopted a pull rod instead of a pushrod front suspension layout, but why all the change?
As Technical Director of chassis at Ferrari, Serra was able to explain the tinking behind the Scuderia’s design evolution.
“The main concept of the SF-25 is really about finding some space to boost the aerodynamic development and the development in general,” Serra explained to select media including Motorsport Week.
“The SF-24 finished reasonably strong, but it was becoming more and more difficult to develop and find performance.
“So, we had to sort of find space to boost the development rate.”
Car concept remains the same despite new parts
Despite making some major changes with the new car, which Serra admits comprises overhauling the majority of parts on the SF-25, he explains the car concept hasn’t changed at Ferrari.
This, he explains, quells any fears that Ferrari would need to undergo a learning period with its new F1 car in the first few rounds of the 2025 season.
“The car is more of a continuity of the previous car,” he said.
“Effectively, we’ve changed a lot of parts, we’ve changed most of the parts on the car. But the main performance concept remains the same.
“So, I actually don’t expect a learning curve that is steeper than last year.
“Hopefully, the development rate will be, as I said earlier, boosted compared to what it was end of last season. But I’m not expecting necessarily to operate the car in a very different place.”
Front suspension change is the tip of the iceberg
Ferrari’s push to end its title drought in the final year of the current regulations has been a driving force in instigating changes on the SF-25, in order to push development.
Developing cars in the final year of a rule cycle, when margins were already tight in 2024, is no mean feat so it should come as no surprise that Serra revealed the SF-25 has more influential changes beyond the front suspension.
“Well, on these cars it is very much in the details,” he said.
“So we’re pointing at the front suspension because it’s the visible part of the iceberg.
“But, as we said earlier, most of the parts are new on the car.
“And it’s not necessarily the most visible bits that have got the biggest influence. So yes, yes, the devil is in the details.”
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