The countdown to the disclosing of Ferrari’s new SF-25 on Wednesday, February 19, has formally began. Ferrari group boss Frederic Vasseur had already confirmed the insights gathered by the Italian web site AutoRacer.it throughout the growth of undertaking 677: “Within the fourth yr of this technical cycle, we have now a wealth of knowledge at our disposal, and the 2025 automobile can be solely new.” The French Group Principal additionally disclosed {that a} mere 1% of the 2024 automobile could be carried over to the SF-25. This can be a blunt manner of indicating that the 2025 automobile’s growth is akin to ranging from scratch, drawing solely on the in depth information amassed over the previous three seasons. This message was additionally clearly conveyed by Frederic Vasseur to the technical group. The workers, headed by Loic Serra, Ferrari’s new Technical Director, Diego Tondi, accountable for the aerodynamic division, and Fabio Montecchi, the Chief Venture Engineer, has launched daring choices geared toward making the 2025 season not only a transitional yr however a major step ahead earlier than the foremost adjustments anticipated in 2026.
The SF-25 introduces substantial adjustments on the outside, whereas the inside stays much less revolutionary: centered changes to cooling techniques are deliberate, however the extremely environment friendly triangular airbox is prone to keep. The SF-24 was already a car that marked a serious departure from Ferrari’s earlier designs, with aerodynamics considerably revamped following the problems confronted by the outdated 2023 automobile. In line with educated technical sources, “these laws nonetheless have untapped potential,” that means there’s nonetheless appreciable room for enchancment. Whereas this course of is undoubtedly difficult, there’s a consensus that when the proper path is recognized, vital features can observe. Ferrari’s technique revolves round aggressively adopting the entrance pull-rod, not simply to beat the intense limitations that the SF-24 endured all through the season, notably relating to tire administration. The redistribution of mass, nevertheless, is something however easy and would require time and cautious studying to totally optimize the automobile’s setup.
In distinction to this, the rear part of the SF-25 has not undergone a drastic reconfiguration of its inside mechanics, however slightly a extra refined and exact evolution in step with the group’s targets. Equally, the automobile’s central construction has not skilled an entire overhaul. Whereas different groups, akin to Williams (and others), have opted to redistribute the automobile’s mass, with the FW47 notably eliminating the massive central radiator situated behind the airscoop, Ferrari has chosen to not undertake such a heavy redistribution of cooling elements. As an alternative, the group has centered on additional optimizing the present cooling setup. This resolution maintains the automobile’s authentic character whereas permitting changes that accommodate different modifications, such because the adjustments made to the chassis that have an effect on the cooling system structure.
There is no such thing as a drastic transformation akin to Purple Bull’s 2024 overhaul, which included an in depth redistribution of radiators throughout the RB20, a transfer that, though it posed challenges for the Milton Keynes group, finally helped resolve cooling points, as evidenced by the changes made throughout the Suzuka race. Ferrari, nevertheless, opted to not take this dangerous method. As an alternative, they selected to retain a well-recognized weight distribution within the central a part of the automobile, staying near the configurations of earlier Ferrari fashions.
As for the SF-25, the 1% of carryover components from the 2024 Formulation 1 automobile, the SF24, as talked about by Frederic Vasseur, will embrace, amongst different issues, the hood consumption, which can keep its triangular form, mirroring the design of the roll hoop. This function has been part of Ferrari’s design philosophy because the F1-75 in 2022 (and even earlier with the SF-90) and is a part of the group’s need to keep away from shifting in the direction of extra central cooling techniques, also called centerline cooling. The distinctive “ears” connected to the edges of the airbox may even stay current on the complete fleet of Ferrari-powered automobiles via 2024. Even Ferrari’s buyer groups, Sauber and Haas, have opted to centralize their automobile’s mass by shifting not solely the oil radiator to the middle but additionally repositioning the electrical radiator alongside the automobile’s central axis. This permits for higher utilization of area, notably within the sidepod areas.