Ferrari’s rear suspension gamble to define the season – Fred Vasseur made the first big misstep of his career at the head of the Ferrari F1 racing team when he was persuaded by his engineers that their 2026 challenger should be designed from the ground up. At the Maranello festive bash where the Ferrari grandees and media mingled, Fred announced boldly: “We are in the fourth year of applying these regulations and we know our previous project very well. That is why the 2025 car will be completely new.”
As if to underscore his point, Vasseur added that the 2025 Ferrari “will share less than 1 percent” with the red single seater that was raced by Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in 2024. At the time TJ13 challenged Vasseur’s thinking given the SF-24 was the class of the field over the closing six race weekends.
Prior to the two triple head weekends which concluded the 2024 competition, Ferrari sat 79 points behind McLaren who were leading the constructors’ championship. Come the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi, the gap had been slashed to just 14 points. Ferrari were on a roll and their trajectory would have seen them claim their first championship had there been one more race weekend to come.
Ferrari refuse to learn from Mercedes
That wintery day in Maranello, Vasseur was bullish about his team and the imminent arrival of Lewis Hamilton and refused to accept his engineers would change much based on the seven ties champion’s time with Mercedes. When asked about gleaning information from their Brackley rivals, Vasseur was adamant: “No,” he insisted, “because we have no intention of replicating Mercedes here at Ferrari. We have our guys and the right resources to win, so let’s work to create an original. I don’t want a copy.”
In terms of any demands Hamilton might present to the team, again Fred Vasseur batted the notion away that Ferrari would need to bend in anyway from their engineering vision. “He will bring his own experiences and background, but that doesn’t mean we have to change our approach. I think Lewis will understand that perfectly,” Vasseur added. “I know Lewis very well, but we must not copy and paste from Mercedes. The working environment there was very good at the beginning and less good at the end. They are not the champions. We must do something different.”
And it is true, Ferrari have ploughed their own farrow this season and as Vasseur is now regularly pointing out, are second in the title race behind McLaren. Yet the 299 point deficit to the papaya liveried team is hardly something to be proud of when considering there are ten race weekends remaining. Having struggled with suspension issues all season since Lewis Hamilton was disqualified in China for excessive wear on his underfloor ‘plank,’ Ferrari arrived in Spa with a fix.
Major upgrade despite 2026 looming
In a season where everything will change for next year, Ferrari brought a major upgrade to their SF-24 more than half way through the racing calendar – and on a Sprint weekend – where practice is limited to just one hour. Ferrari’s long-awaited rear-end update finally broke cover at the Belgian Grand Prix. The initial signs were positive: Charles Leclerc converted it into a podium at Spa and followed up with Ferrari’s first pole of 2025 in Hungary.
The Sunday result at the Hungaroring — a frustrated fourth after a mysterious ‘chassis’ issue — didn’t match the Saturday high, but the momentum needle is pointing upwards. Vasseur has been candid about the trade-offs. Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, he admitted Ferrari had effectively grafted a new philosophy onto a car never designed for it.
“For us, it’s a step forward,” he said. “I would have liked to do it earlier. But such major changes in the middle of the season are never as efficient as those planned from the outset. The price is higher weight, aerodynamic losses and changes in driving dynamics. We built our car for a different type of suspension.”
The gamble at a Sprint???
That sums up Ferrari’s gamble: compromise in pursuit of potential. Introducing the rear axle at Spa, with only one practice session before sprint qualifying, heightened the risk. “I was nervous,” Vasseur admitted. “On a sprint weekend, you don’t have much time for chassis set-up. In the end, it worked quite well. We used the sprint as a test.”
The step was needed. Unlike 2024, when Ferrari pushed McLaren to the wire, this year the Scuderia has struggled to keep up. McLaren has dominated the pace, and with ten races left Ferrari is still chasing a first victory.
Lewis Hamilton, still searching for a breakthrough moment in red, felt the difference immediately. “Definitely some improvements that we’ve made on the upgrades,” he said in Budapest. “It’s a shame we’re not as competitive as the guys right at the front. But Charles has had a really strong run over the last two races. The car is definitely progressing, so we just have to keep trying to extract more.”
SF-25 now a wider operating window
Ferrari’s rear suspension shift has opened up a wider set-up window and given engineers a clearer path for development. But the compromise comes at a cost: extra weight, aerodynamic inefficiency, and a balance that feels very different to what the SF-25 was built around.
Vasseur’s bold call has already yielded a podium, a pole position, and signs of recovery. Whether it delivers the elusive first win of 2025 — and justifies the risks Ferrari has absorbed — is the question even simulations can’t answer.
Bottas now free to replace Colapinto at Alpine
Cadillac F1 today have announced what most paddock folk expected from them, that experienced F1 drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will become their full time drivers in 2026. The pair have 106 podiums between them and sixteen Grand Prix victories together with 27 years of racing in Formula One.
The announcement also confirmed that the team wold not be appointing Christian Horner in any capacity, backing current team boss Graham Lowden who was appointed in December last year. Bottas and Perez were not just Cadillac hopefuls, but reports emerging from the chaotic Alpine in recent weeks state Flavio Briatore was considering one of the pair for 2026.
Valterri Bottas refused to admit the approach although Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed at this year’s British GP that he had spoken to Briatore over the loan of Bottas to replace Franco Colapinto for the remainder of the year. When asked whether he had discussed the matter with Flavio Briatore Toto Wolff replied: “A few times, actually. I saw him today and we talked about Valtteri. It seems that the interest in Valtteri is increasing even more. He deserves that seat. If someone grabs him as a race driver, we’ll let him go. Of course, with a tear in the corner of our eye.”…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
