Ferrari Targets Season Revival with Bold Rear Suspension up… Read more
Ferrari is aiming to turn around a difficult 2025 Formula 1 campaign with a significant rear suspension upgrade set for introduction next month. The update is reportedly designed to enhance performance and bring relief to star drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after a challenging start to the season.
The team began the year with high expectations, hoping to build on their strong 2024 showing when they narrowly missed out on the Constructors’ Championship, finishing just 14 points behind McLaren. However, Ferrari has struggled in the opening six rounds of 2025, securing only one podium and falling 152 points behind the leading team.
Hamilton, the marquee signing from Mercedes over the winter, has yet to finish higher than fifth in a race, grappling with a lack of confidence in the SF-25’s handling. Ferrari rolled out their first major upgrade at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which featured a revised floor for both Hamilton and Leclerc. Another significant development was expected for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, but team boss Fred Vasseur confirmed that only a minor step will be introduced, with more meaningful changes arriving at the Spanish Grand Prix in June.
The Spanish GP will also coincide with the FIA’s crackdown on flexible front wings, prompting all teams to introduce updated front wing designs that could shift the performance order. Yet, Ferrari’s major focus is on a new rear suspension upgrade anticipated around the Austrian Grand Prix at the end of June.
According to Motorsport.com Italy, this update will allow Ferrari to adopt a more aggressive mechanical setup, enabling them to lower the ride height of the SF-25. This has been a challenge since the Chinese Grand Prix, where Hamilton was disqualified for excessive wear to the skid block, forcing the team to raise the car’s height.
The fundamental suspension layout, including Ferrari’s unique pullrod rear design, will remain unchanged due to budget constraints under F1’s cost cap rules. Notably, Ferrari and their customer team Haas are the only ones still using a pullrod configuration, while all other teams have adopted a pushrod setup.
Although the upgrade is not expected to put Ferrari back in title contention, it is hoped it will boost team morale and competitiveness ahead of the major regulation changes coming in 2026. Ferrari’s engineering team is already deep into the design of “Project 678″—the codename for their first car built for F1’s new era.
The effectiveness of the rear suspension changes will be assessed during the three races before the summer break: the British, Belgian, and Hungarian Grands Prix. Combined with an aerodynamic package, the team is cautiously optimistic about a more competitive second half of the season.
