The Miami Grand Prix was a challenge for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton, but it wasn’t all negative. Despite the difficulties with race strategy, promising signs of improvement have been found in Ferrari’s new SF-25 car, which could benefit the seven-time world champion in his first season with the Scuderia.
During the race, Hamilton found himself stuck behind teammate Charles Leclerc, who was on a different strategy, which negatively impacted the performance of his fresh medium tires. Hamilton had to request the team to allow him to overtake Leclerc to make better use of his tires, but the response came late, leading to understandable frustration for the driver.
Former world champion Jenson Button explained that even a single lap behind a teammate on different tires can damage the performance of the tires, increasing their temperature and losing their best performance, which justifies Hamilton’s impatience.
Despite the lack of pace in Miami, Hamilton and Ferrari know where the shortcomings lie and are hoping for updates to regain lost performance. The SF-25 represents a significant step forward over the previous model, with design innovations that could add up to 0.4 seconds per lap, according to data from the team’s simulator.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has confirmed that the SF-25 is a “completely new” car compared to its predecessor, which came close to winning the Constructors’ Championship in 2024. This new car incorporates significant changes, such as the transition from push-rod to pull-rod front suspension, opening up new aerodynamic possibilities for the team.
With these improvements, Ferrari aims to break its title drought since 2008 and give Hamilton the opportunity to fight for his eighth world championship. Hamilton’s debut with Ferrari and the updates to the SF-25 have generated great excitement, with hopes that they can compete head-to-head with rivals like Red Bull and McLaren.
Hamilton has also directly influenced several improvements to the SF-25, including a redesigned steering wheel to better suit his driving style and changes to the aerodynamics and rear suspension to improve traction and cornering performance.
Ferrari has addressed previous issues Hamilton had with the pedals in earlier tests and continues to work on adapting the car to his needs, including possible adjustments to the steering wheel and tire management and race start strategy.
The team plans to continue testing at the Barcelona circuit and other preseason tests to further optimize the SF-25 before the first official races of the season.
This summary reflects the key points regarding Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton’s progress and challenges with the SF-25, based on publicly available information. I can help you delve deeper into a specific aspect if you’d like.
