Ferrari has already made significant strides with one aspect of their 2025 Formula 1 car, specifically perfecting the floor ahead of next season. As emotions ran high at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Lewis Hamilton secured an impressive fourth place in his final race with Mercedes, concluding his three-year partnership with the team. Martin Brundle even predicted that Hamilton’s overtaking move on George Russell would mark the end of his era as Mercedes’ top points scorer.
While McLaren triumphed in securing the Constructors’ Championship, Ferrari’s performance was noteworthy, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both finishing on the podium. However, it was Hamilton’s potential with his new team that generated excitement, especially considering the encouraging results at the end of the 2024 season.
The Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Ferrari’s engineers have successfully refined the floor of their 2025 car, an evolution of the experimental part Leclerc tested in Qatar. This improvement, paired with a new aerodynamic concept, could significantly enhance Ferrari’s dynamic platform. Ferrari’s goal is to balance downforce without overdoing it, ensuring better integration and performance.
Ferrari’s team principal, Frederic Vasseur, emphasized the evolutionary approach to their 2025 car, revealing that less than 1% of the new car’s parts would come from the 2024 challenger. He stated, “If it will be competitive, we’ll find out in Bahrain. Sometimes you don’t realise you’re taking risks until afterwards.”
After a challenging 2024, with some failed updates like the one in Spain, Ferrari will be focused on refining their development process for 2025. If they avoid similar setbacks, there’s a strong chance that both Hamilton and Leclerc will be serious contenders for the championship, challenging McLaren and Max Verstappen’s dominance.