After the Miami Grand Prix qualifying session, Ferrari workforce principal Frederic Vasseur supplied a clear-eyed evaluation of the Maranello workforce’s present kind, particularly in qualifying, the place the SF-25 single-seater struggles to get probably the most out of the tyres. Whereas the difficulty might remind a few of final yr’s SF-24, the traits differ: then, the problem was with the gentle compound, however now the issue appears extra structural.
The Staff Principal pressured that the difficulty just isn’t a scarcity of potential, because the French supervisor is satisfied it’s there, however fairly the issue in unlocking it. This ends in underwhelming qualifying classes, as much as the purpose the place Ferrari discovered itself even behind Williams on the Miami Worldwide Autodrome in Florida. The phrases of a visibly dejected Charles Leclerc maybe mirror most clearly the fact of an SF-25 that struggles to stability its strengths with its weaknesses.
The numbers from Miami qualifying are telling: in comparison with Max Verstappen, Ferrari misplaced round seven tenths of a second in 4 corners: two tenths in Flip 1, one other tenth and a half between Turns 7 and eight, and three and a half tenths between Flip 12, the place power understeer emerged, and the part earlier than Flip 16.
A lot of the hole, subsequently, comes from the slow-speed sections, the place the SF-25 automotive reveals its best weaknesses on this begin of the 2025 Formulation 1 championship. In reality, each Williams and Haas had been quicker than Ferrari in these areas. McLaren, then again, proved superior because of its sturdy front-end response and a mechanically gentle setup that allowed aggressive use of the kerbs.
Whereas Ferrari continues to seek for its identification, its rivals are making regular progress. The difficulty isn’t just absolute efficiency, but additionally the truth that Ferrari’s present predominant energy, specifically its straight-line pace, is clearly not sufficient to make an actual distinction. McLaren, for instance, has usually been praised for its versatility: regardless of struggling when it comes to straight-line effectivity, and having opted for lower-downforce configurations in current rounds, it stays aggressive in different areas. Whereas not matching Purple Bull’s peak efficiency in quick sections, the MCL39 single-seater sometimes makes up for it with total stability, and that makes it a formidable competitor throughout many of the Formulation 1 calendar.
The SF-25 has made a modest step ahead in high-speed sections, persevering with the aerodynamic growth path began with the SF-24. Nonetheless, it nonetheless suffers from understeer in sluggish corners, partly resulting from total weak mechanical grip. Charles Leclerc has emphasised this repeatedly: past stability, what is actually lacking is grip.
Maybe probably the most telling determine is that Charles Leclerc managed to publish higher sector occasions on used tyres than on a contemporary set, failing to take advantage of the grip peak—highlighting the SF-25’s qualifying weaknesses. These points additionally have an effect on race day: beginning too far again means getting caught in soiled air and being compelled to chase. At current, a scenario that has additionally been seen two weeks in the past within the Jeddah race, the SF-25’s solely actual energy is its straight-line pace, just like Mercedes, which generally runs low-drag setups. Nonetheless, Ferrari struggles to capitalize on it as successfully, usually failing to make equal positive factors in different efficiency areas.
McLaren stands out for its adaptability; Purple Bull, besides in Miami, can depend on wonderful DRS efficiency and nice tempo in quick sections. A positive calendar has helped, however the RB21 clearly has larger efficiency peaks than the Ferrari, even when Bahrain uncovered a few of its personal weaknesses.
From this image, two key takeaways emerge. First, Purple Bull apart, all of Ferrari’s predominant rivals have made vital progress. Second, even though the SF-25 single-seater has gained about 6 kilometers per hour on the straights in comparison with 2024, it has not proven comparable enhancements in both sluggish or quick corners. In high-speed corners, Mercedes has considerably lowered bouncing and improved in low-speed sections as properly, particularly in sequences of turns, because of a extra environment friendly low-drag setup for the W16. McLaren has made a transparent step ahead in slow-speed corners, turning into a benchmark there, whereas nonetheless bettering its straight-line efficiency with the MCL39.
On this context, the SF-25’s lack of versatile downforce and its mechanical setup limitations reveal the automotive’s core points when it comes to qualifying efficiency, particularly on tracks the place a stability between quick and sluggish sections is essential. Consequently, it turns into a lot more durable to hit the best efficiency window, additional highlighting its flaws.
Setup work can mitigate some weaknesses, however on complicated circuits that’s not sufficient, as one compromise usually results in one other problem. Within the Miami Grand Prix race, Ferrari might present extra aggressive tempo, particularly since tyre administration turns into much less important, however beginning too far again makes it troublesome to construct a strong race.
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