Having narrowly missed out on last year’s constructors title, Ferrari head into the 2025 season with high expectations. The arrival of Lewis Hamilton will only heighten the scrutiny in Maranello. However, in news that will impact Hamilton’s first campaign at the Scuderia, the team are taking an aggressive approach.
Ferrari change “99%” of components for 2025
On paper, this year should be a continuation of the development race that unfolded last season.
For Ferrari, their trajectory in the final months of 2024 was very promising. Upgrades brought to the Italian GP catapulted the team to the very front – with Sainz and Leclerc regularly fighting for wins.
This update package was the final major change that Ferrari’s team introduced last year – with the Italian outfit swiftly shifting their focus to 2025.
With major regulation changes on the horizon in 2026, the progress teams make over the winter and heading into pre-season will be decisive in their success this season.
Because of this, it was a surprise when Ferrari confirmed their intentions of bringing a massively revised package.
Speaking after the conclusion of last year’s campaign, Fred Vasseur spoke candidly about what to expect in 2025. Almost every aspect of last season’s challenger will be changed and revised:
“The car will be completely now. I think we’ll have less than 1% of the parts in common with the 2024 car.”
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Hamilton and Leclerc enter unknown territory
Taking such an ambitious approach is somewhat unusual in the final season of a regulatory cycle.
After all, several teams – including Red Bull – admitted that the development ‘ceiling’ for this generation of cars is getting closer and closer.
However, this is evidently not a concern for Fred Vasseur and Ferrari.
The engineers at the team’s factory in Maranello have welcomed Lewis Hamilton over the last 48 hours. The 7-time Champion’s move to Ferrari will understandably be a massive point of focus this season.
Hamilton joins the team after one of their best campaigns in recent memory. Aside from their final position in the standings, the Italian outfit’s quick recovery from their mid-season development slump was very encouraging.
This is something Vasseur spoke about extensively last year, explaining that the simulator and wind tunnel data for 2025 is very promising.
Partly because of this strong trajectory, Ferrari will present Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with a highly revised package for this season.
Haas, one of Ferrari’s customer teams, are committing to a different suspension for 2025. Despite purchasing several components from the Scuderia, Haas will not adopt the new front suspension that Ferrari are implementing.
This is understandable, given that Ayao Komatsu’s team believe they can unlock more performance without making drastic changes.
Still, this move is further evidence that the Italian team are pursuing a unique approach.
Aside from the typical changes to the floor and chassis, alterations to the Scuderia’s front suspension are anticipated. This will add yet another intriguing dimension to Lewis Hamilton’s first campaign in red.
Rather than settling with their strong finish to 2024 – which saw them fighting for the constructors title – Ferrari have been working to push the limits over the winter break.
