Ferrari has rejected speculation about the inherent issues of the 2025 Formula 1 Challenger.
Ferrari ride heights have been a hot topic since the season began in Melbourne last month. This is reportedly the team had to raise Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclair cars after practice Friday.
As rumours about the SF-25 have been strengthened, disqualification from the next round in China, a direct result of excessive fueling due to board wear – a direct result of bringing the car too close to the ground.
Ferrari is eager to start and failed to score one podium in Sunday’s race, so many observers have identified their inability to run the team low enough as the main reason for their lack of performance.
The fact that Hamilton was able to dominate the Shanghai sprint from pole position gave the theory credibility, as a race where skidblocks were not exposed to the same wear as the perfect Grand Prix.
Ferrari responds to theories about the F1 2025 CAR problem
However, the team’s principal, Fred Vasser, commented on the rumours for the first time, denying that he faced certain issues that prevented the 2025 Formula One car from driving at low ride heights.
“We all want to lower our cars. We’ll all have more downforce in all situations, for everyone, but there are limitations,” Vasseur was quoted by Formula1.com. “The limits are at the bottom, and the limits are at the bottom.
“We all have restrictions on weekends, where can we drive, where can we drive, then you’re too low. That’s the same for everyone and we all know with this type of car.
“It’s true to us, it’s true to everyone, it’s true today, but the last two years have been true. I was disqualified in 2023 at Mercedes and Austin because I was trying to reach the same point.
“That’s not the traits of the car this year or the Ferrari feature, it applies to all fields.”
In the new ground effects era kicked off in 2025, high rides will become even more important, with teams hoping to drive as close to asphalt as possible to extract maximum performance.
Increasing the ride height on the track not only affects aerodynamics, but also causes the car to slide more, increasing tire wear and negatively affecting performance.
Not the only issue with dogging a Ferrari in China, Leclerc was also disqualified from the race after his car failed to meet the new 800kg weight requirement for 2025.
The Monegasque driver bouncing off the DSQ to score fourth in Suzuka last weekend, securing the 2025 Ferrari’s best Grand Prix results.
Vasseur asked how challenging the beginning of the year was for Ferrari.
“It’s certainly not ideal and I prefer to win the first one. But we’re in almost the same situation so we don’t need to change our approach since last year. Perhaps it’s a bit bad in terms of pace, so the team’s response was very strong.
“We worked as a team and took small steps in small steps. We need to maintain the exact same approach, but certainly not ideal.”
Can Ferrari recover from that poor start?
After Japan, Leclair and Hamilton sat sixth and eighth in driver positions respectively, while Ferrari took fourth in the constructors championship, scoring just 35 points compared to runaway leader McLaren’s 111.
Vasseur acknowledged that Ferrari needs to improve driving and performance in the F1 Car, and also admitted that he faced a similar situation at the beginning of last season.
“I wouldn’t find anything in a car worth three or a quarter, not because I found a magic bullet last year, from the beginning of the season to the midseason,” he said.
“That’s because we put together the balance, the other two or three areas where the drivers got the best from the car. I don’t think we were that far, but it was very difficult for us, and the same can be said for McLaren, but it was very difficult to put together the laps.
“If you look at Charles, he lost 10 and a half minutes in the final chicane, then he lost 10th of the first corner (in qualifying). That’s not an excuse and we shouldn’t say we have the best cars, but it’s exactly the same in Piastri and everyone is exactly the same.
“It’s difficult to get the best from a car, and we need to improve the driving ability that calls it and get the best from the package.”