Ferrari SF-25: the pull rod gamble and car layout change to allow for more development potential. The Ferrari SF-25 is a car designed to have significant development margins throughout the season.

The Ferrari SF-25 is a car designed to have significant development margins throughout the season. Loic Serra was clear in explaining the concept behind the new Ferrari, which has changed significantly compared to last year: “The SF-24 was quite competitive at the end of the season, but updating and finding performance was becoming increasingly difficult, so we had to create space to accelerate the development pace.”

Thus, the new Ferrari is a completely different machine, and the French technical director explains the reasoning behind this transformation: “With these cars, everything is so optimized that when you start moving one part, you have to shift everything else. It’s not accurate to say that our main challenge was with the front suspension or elsewhere. In reality, when you start changing something, you end up modifying everything in a chain reaction. I’d say the main challenge was finding the right overall compromise.”

The most visible aspect of the change is the adoption of the pull rod front suspension, following the lead of other top teams like Red Bull and McLaren, which had already made this switch. In modern F1, this solution was reintroduced by Gabriele Tredozi on the 2001 Minardi PS01. That’s why we asked the Brisighella-based engineer to comment on Ferrari’s decision:

“At the time, the decision was based on the advantages the pull rod offered in lowering weight,” explained Tredozi. “We had a low nose, so it helped achieve a good center of gravity, although with a minimal-section lever, a stronger upper arm was necessary.”

According to Ferrari’s engineers, however, the main benefit they sought was more aerodynamic than mechanical: “There’s no doubt,” continues Gabriele. “The push rod strut interferes in a zone that disrupts the airflow toward the floor. Instead, with the pull rod, having the lever working from the wheel hub toward the chassis floor allows for cleaner airflow, even in managing the front wheel’s wake.” So, is the verdict positive?

“Both suspension layouts can be effective,” adds the former Minardi technical director. “It depends on the regulatory constraints. With the pull rod, it’s harder to achieve good stiffness at ground level, which is crucial for grip. Therefore, alongside the many aerodynamic advantages, work must be done to match the mechanical performance of the push rod. I’m sure excellent work has been done, as Maranello has a strong tradition in this area. It’s still the same philosophy from the Aldo Costa era: the car’s layout matters, not just aerodynamics, even though we know how much the latter influences performance.”

The SF-25’s front suspension design is closer to Red Bull’s than McLaren’s. Rod Marshall has taken extreme measures with the MCL39, applying bold concepts successfully tested on the MCL38, such as a highly inclined rear upper wishbone. This was not so much to accentuate the anti-dive effect under braking but rather to improve airflow routing toward the floor, increasing downforce. Ferrari has retained the front steering arm, just like on the RB20, whereas on the MCL39, this crucial element remains behind the lower wishbone.

The carbon fiber cover of Ferrari’s steering arm is particularly refined, shaped to create an airflow passage with the lower wishbone. But there’s another important aspect: this Ferrari has moved the two front wheels further forward to maintain the 3,600 mm wheelbase after shortening the gearbox at the rear, thus shifting more mass toward the rear. The cockpit and sidepod inlets have been moved further away from the front wheels to better manage turbulent wake.

However, Ferrari will have to use ballast at the front to comply with the weight distribution regulations. Given that more ballast can be used, it is reasonable to believe that the SF-25 has reached the 800 kg minimum weight limit—otherwise, it would mean it was originally slightly overweight.

The confirmation of this major structural change comes from comparing the new car with last year’s model. Sharp-eyed observers will notice a different arrangement of the suspension arms: in 2024, the front arm of the upper wishbone was slightly angled backward, whereas now it is perfectly straight. Our expert, Giorgio Piola, also suggests that both sides of the suspension might be connected by a single upper element passing through the chassis, similar to a design first seen on Red Bull and later copied mid-season by Mercedes.

The last time Ferrari used a front pull rod suspension was in 2012 with the F2012, keeping this layout until 2015 with the SF15-T, but with limited success. The SF-25, however, enters the final season of the current ground-effect regulations with one clear goal: to fight for both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.