The SF-25 was the final Ferrari car built under the ground-effect regulations introduced in 2022, with a comprehensive overhaul coming for 2026. Development was led principally by chassis technical director Enrico Cardile, with Ferrari describing the machine as a "completely new car" that used the race-winning SF-24 as its basic foundation. Cardile had been placed on forced leave midway through the 2024 season following a poorly received upgrade package for the Spanish Grand Prix, but the SF-25 project had reached its final stages under his team before that departure. His replacement, Loïc Serra, therefore had a minimal role in the car's development.
A significant technical change was the adoption of a pull-rod front suspension layout, a geometry employed by title-contending rivals including the McLaren MCL38 and Red Bull RB20. This replaced the push-rod front suspension seen on previous Ferrari cars, while the pull-rod rear suspension was retained. Ferrari argued the revised front geometry would clean up airflow around the car and open further aerodynamic development opportunities.
Following a double disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix in April, the team halted aero development to redirect engineering resources toward the 2026 regulations. Ferrari did produce one final upgrade for the Belgian Grand Prix that proved ineffective, and a planned Azerbaijan upgrade intended to add meaningful downforce was ultimately abandoned.
The SF-25 race livery was unveiled at the F1 75 Live event by Hamilton, Leclerc, and team principal Frédéric Vasseur. It featured a darker shade of red and a large white stripe running over the engine cover around the HP logo. Several special liveries appeared during the season. For the Miami Grand Prix, Ferrari emphasised HP branding in a callback to the 2024 livery style. At Monaco, a Shell 75 logo appeared on the sidepods to mark 75 years of technical partnership between Ferrari and Shell. At Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari unveiled a tribute livery honouring the Ferrari 312T — the car in which Niki Lauda secured his first two Drivers' Championships. For the Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, the Peroni logo was replaced with "ITALIA 0.0" in compliance with local alcohol advertising regulations.
Lewis Hamilton delivered Ferrari's sole sprint victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, qualifying first in the sprint shootout and finishing first in the sprint race ahead of Leclerc in fifth. The accompanying main race proved catastrophic for the team: both cars were disqualified from their finishing positions, Hamilton for excessive plank wear and Leclerc for an underweight car. It was the first time both cars of a team were simultaneously disqualified since Renault at the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix.
At the Australian Grand Prix opener, Leclerc qualified seventh and Hamilton eighth, before finishing eighth and tenth respectively. At Miami, Leclerc aquaplaned and crashed during a reconnaissance lap before the rain-affected sprint and could not start; Hamilton salvaged third place in the sprint but was eliminated in Q2 for the main race, eventually finishing alongside Leclerc in seventh and eighth.
The SF-25 set a Formula One record of 14 consecutive races without a DNF for either Ferrari driver — an unprecedented streak under the ground-effect era regulations. Leclerc completed the full 24-race season without a single mechanical failure or component-related grid penalty, making the car arguably the most reliable in the field despite its pace limitations. Ferrari nonetheless slipped behind Mercedes and Red Bull following a double retirement at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship, falling short of their stated target of second place.
The SF-25 scored seven podiums, one sprint win, one pole position, and two fastest laps. Hamilton set the second fastest time at pre-season testing in Bahrain during his initial shaking down of the car.
The SF-25 sits as a transitional study in contrasts: record reliability paired with insufficient pace. The absence of a race win extended Ferrari's winless run to a second consecutive season for the first time since 1992 and 1993, sharpening pressure on the team as they pivoted fully to the 2026 regulatory reset. The car's mechanical consistency demonstrated that Ferrari had resolved the fragility issues of earlier campaigns, but also exposed the limitations of a concept that could not challenge McLaren for outright pace. It remains the final Ferrari Formula One car built under the post-2022 ground-effect rules.
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