Ferrari are understood to have become the first team to pass the FIA’s crash tests for 2025. Although the Italian outfit are working on an aggressive concept for next year, development is very much on schedule.
Ferrari meeting key deadlines ahead of F1 2025 season
Typically speaking, trying to make conclusions from crash tests is risky.
Teams usually pasts the FIA’s safety standards a few weeks before pre-season testing, meaning that – in some way – they are a formality.
However, this does not mean they are irrelevant. Last season, for example, Alpine failed their first crash tests – which had significant consequences for their season.
They began the season with a car that was several kilograms overweight – partly because they were forced to compensate for failing several crash tests.
In this sense, Ferrari passing their crash tests is an important step, though far from a spectacular one. Moreover, it emphasises the confidence that Ferrari have going into next year.
As outlined by team principal Fred Vasseur, the Maranello squad are prepared to take risks for 2025.
Why Ferrari are confident in their strategy
Thanks to a corrective set of upgrades that arrived in Monza, Ferrari ended this year strongly.
They narrowly missed out on clinching the constructors title, successfully recovering from a difficult mid-season patch after their failed Spanish GP package.
The SF-24’s performance correlated with the wind tunnel data, restoring the team’s faith in their direction for 2025.
As evidenced on several occasions in recent years, this generation of cars are extremely unpredictable. Therefore, it was critical for Ferrari’s late-season updates to work effectively and create a platform for next season.
Next year’s Ferrari, as reported previously on LWOS, will be a very different package to this year.
Changes to the suspension, gearbox and overall weight distribution are anticipated for 2025. For a team that were regularly winning races in the second half of last year’s campaign, these changes are certainly bold.
However, just because Ferrari were competitive does not justify a conservative approach.
Red Bull are perhaps the best example to showcase how development can stagnate after several years into a regulatory cycle.
Eager to avoid this dilemma, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 challengers will represent an aggressive change.
F1 News: Ferrari have changed the narrative
For the Scuderia to complete their crash tests this early is a sign that observers can cautiously interpret as a positive sign.
It cannot be forgotten that, prior to this season, Ferrari’s development has often been a weakness.
After a strong start to these regulations in 2022, for example, Ferrari spent about eighteen months going in circles – unable to close the gap to Red Bull.
In many ways, their willingness to introduce substantial changes for next year is evidence of the team’s progress under Fred Vasseur.
Upgrades from Maranello now regularly deliver performance, with Ferrari’s technical team consistently unlocking more performance.
Concerns that they would regret pursuing an ambitious concept – at least for now – can be put to the side.
Their 2025 car is firmly on schedule. Considering the team’s relatively limited upgrades after the Italian GP, it seems clear a lot of resources have already been put into next year’s package.
Assuming they were properly allocated, Ferrari could begin next year in a very strong position.
