2025 Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team

[atanatizante]

Some thoughts gathered from the Italian media:
.....
....
One thing sticks out from the above text that I can`t figure out: how can the ground clearance management, which forces them into adopting extreme mechanical solutions, make the car more vulnerable to environmental changes than a well-balanced ground effect car? Could someone enlighten me, please?

It's a load of BS. F1 related media don't have in depth technical knowledge, they are some journalists who have heard some jargons and other technical sounding words for many years, and with this breadcrumb like info, they draw their own conclusions and churn out 'articles' that are nothing but pure BS (who will question/correct them ? the teams themselves ? no way, they laugh and enjoy the nonsense that gets written in such way). The problem is, some of these journalists hold a huge name/power in the F1-related media space and have their 'captive audience' locked. And that's what gets the hits/clicks for their employers. So this keeps happening.
Unless someone technical from the crew says something to this effect directly to the camera/mic, don't believe any such articles.

Although I don't resonate with your entire reply, I must recognize that the truth is somehow in between. There are journalists with a technical background and even F1 knowledge, such as people working at The Race. They are usually writing their articles for certain fans with a technical background, or, as I would like it to be, for us, the F1 enthusiasts. Had they always been writing BS, as you are saying, they would lose credibility in our eyes, and they would not sell their merchandise. And even more, they would be repudiated easily even in the F1 bubble for being just some clickbait reporters ...

[venkyhere]

Some thoughts gathered from the Italian media:
.....
....
One thing sticks out from the above text that I can`t figure out: how can the ground clearance management, which forces them into adopting extreme mechanical solutions, make the car more vulnerable to environmental changes than a well-balanced ground effect car? Could someone enlighten me, please?

It's a load of BS. F1 related media don't have in depth technical knowledge, they are some journalists who have heard some jargons and other technical sounding words for many years, and with this breadcrumb like info, they draw their own conclusions and churn out 'articles' that are nothing but pure BS (who will question/correct them ? the teams themselves ? no way, they laugh and enjoy the nonsense that gets written in such way). The problem is, some of these journalists hold a huge name/power in the F1-related media space and have their 'captive audience' locked. And that's what gets the hits/clicks for their employers. So this keeps happening.
Unless someone technical from the crew says something to this effect directly to the camera/mic, don't believe any such articles.

Although I don't resonate with your entire reply, I must recognize that the truth is somehow in between. There are journalists with a technical background and even F1 knowledge, such as people working at The Race. They are usually writing their articles for certain fans with a technical background, or, as I would like it to be, for us, the F1 enthusiasts. Had they always been writing BS, as you are saying, they would lose credibility in our eyes, and they would not sell their merchandise. And even more, they would be repudiated easily even in the F1 bubble for being just some clickbait reporters ...

Probably you are referring to Mark Hughes, Jon Noble etc.. yes, they are some of the relatively good journalists and they are technically aware too, but more from a 'racing operations' and track characteristics point of view. Can you show me one article from either of them, explaining what the floor edge cuts and creases "actually do" in this ground effect era ? or what the different spacings/shapes, across teams, of the 'intake strakes' at the front of the floor's mouth "actually does" to the distribution of 'load' in the longitudinal direction (something extremely important for center of pressure) means ? Or even a generic graph/plot that shows the overall floor downforce (forget center of pressure variation) v/s ride height ? Or how the different suspension geometries across teams ends up making the floor performance weak/strong/robust/peaky ?
We never get 'actual answers' , all we get is post-mortem 'trends' after observing 'the average performance' across tracks and different wing level choices. That is something which any engineer (not necessarily a mechanical/fluid-dynamics engineer even) with a reasonable understanding of 'systems' can come up with. There is no 'technical depth' in those articles.
Forget everything, how many articles have you read, from F1-media , that actually say that the real 'work' that the floor does, is not when the car is going in a straight line, but when there is 'yaw' on the car, ie the airflow hitting the left and right halves of the car are asymmetric ? That is when the actual use of downforce comes in, in the corners.

That's what I meant, by saying that all we get to hear/read from the media, are phrases like 'seems to be more stable' 'useful downforce' , 'sensitive to ride height' etc etc - just 'observation trends' POST-MORTEM, after we have all seen the performance of the car. Otherwise, these journalists should have been able to make accurate predictions about whether the car updates that are seen in the thursday-show-and-tell media photos will improve the car or make no difference or regress the car. That never happens.

[ScuderiaLeo]

The journalists may have a technical background, but in the end they are just theorizing like all of us are based on track data and paddock rumors. Even the ones most connected with Ferrari like AR aren't 100% reliable, they just post what they receive from their sources- who may or may not have the most up to date info. Let alone publications with 0 connections to Ferrari.

Speaking of AR, here is their most recent article describing the technical team for 2026.

Vasseur gathered the entire SF team with Leclerc present (* Hamilton absent due to personal emergency). In Maranello, the focus has been solely on 2026 for some time, with the chassis and suspension already well under development. Vasseur himself will be involved in all technical decisions regarding the car, something new for Ferrari whose TPs aren't usually involved at this level. The question is whether Vasseur, Tondi, and the other department heads will have enough power and strong enough ideas to go against the habits that have dominated Ferrari in recent years. (* This may be a reference to a previous article where it was mentioned some middle managers are stubborn when it comes to retaining old concepts.)

The departure of two members, Zimmerman and his lead engineer Schmidt, leaves Enrico Gualtieri with complete independence for the development of the 2026 engine. The teams are working together constantly to integrate it with the chassis. Within the technical department, Serra continues to be an important figure along with Tondi. Together, they lead the vision for 2026.

One of the recent developments is the arrival of Frank Sanchez, a former Sauber engineer on good terms with Vasseur, who has been named the director of the aero department. He is change someone who will work very closely with Tondi, relieving him of some responsibilities. This is a positive thinchag as previously, Tondi was taking on the role of two people.

Ferrari's 2026 PU is entering production and everything is going to schedule. Some, not only in Maranello but among other teams, believe Mercedes will have an early advantage over the rest of the field because of its ability to leverage large-scale industrial efforts and customer teams. The additional customer teams translates to more hours in the test bench and more track kilometers to optimize efficiency. Ferrari responded by acquiring Cadillac, in part due to Lowdon's personal relationship with Vasseur.

[woocasz]

" At Monza, Nicholas Todt (Charles's manager) met with McLaren management in the team's motorhome, and on Sunday morning before the race, he met with TP Andrea Stella and lawyer Alessandro Alunni Bravi (who has previously worked with Todt Jr.'s team on driver contracts). Other meetings took place with Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll and Mercedes' Toto Wolff in Capri, where the Austrian boss also saw Max Verstappen this summer. "

its about damn time!

[Juzh]

It's a load of BS. F1 related media don't have in depth technical knowledge, they are some journalists who have heard some jargons and other technical sounding words for many years, and with this breadcrumb like info, they draw their own conclusions and churn out 'articles' that are nothing but pure BS (who will question/correct them ? the teams themselves ? no way, they laugh and enjoy the nonsense that gets written in such way). The problem is, some of these journalists hold a huge name/power in the F1-related media space and have their 'captive audience' locked. And that's what gets the hits/clicks for their employers. So this keeps happening.
Unless someone technical from the crew says something to this effect directly to the camera/mic, don't believe any such articles.

Although I don't resonate with your entire reply, I must recognize that the truth is somehow in between. There are journalists with a technical background and even F1 knowledge, such as people working at The Race. They are usually writing their articles for certain fans with a technical background, or, as I would like it to be, for us, the F1 enthusiasts. Had they always been writing BS, as you are saying, they would lose credibility in our eyes, and they would not sell their merchandise. And even more, they would be repudiated easily even in the F1 bubble for being just some clickbait reporters ...

Probably you are referring to Mark Hughes, Jon Noble etc.. yes, they are some of the relatively good journalists and they are technically aware too, but more from a 'racing operations' and track characteristics point of view. Can you show me one article from either of them, explaining what the floor edge cuts and creases "actually do" in this ground effect era ? or what the different spacings/shapes, across teams, of the 'intake strakes' at the front of the floor's mouth "actually does" to the distribution of 'load' in the longitudinal direction (something extremely important for center of pressure) means ? Or even a generic graph/plot that shows the overall floor downforce (forget center of pressure variation) v/s ride height ? Or how the different suspension geometries across teams ends up making the floor performance weak/strong/robust/peaky ?
We never get 'actual answers' , all we get is post-mortem 'trends' after observing 'the average performance' across tracks and different wing level choices. That is something which any engineer (not necessarily a mechanical/fluid-dynamics engineer even) with a reasonable understanding of 'systems' can come up with. There is no 'technical depth' in those articles.
Forget everything, how many articles have you read, from F1-media , that actually say that the real 'work' that the floor does, is not when the car is going in a straight line, but when there is 'yaw' on the car, ie the airflow hitting the left and right halves of the car are asymmetric ? That is when the actual use of downforce comes in, in the corners.

That's what I meant, by saying that all we get to hear/read from the media, are phrases like 'seems to be more stable' 'useful downforce' , 'sensitive to ride height' etc etc - just 'observation trends' POST-MORTEM, after we have all seen the performance of the car. Otherwise, these journalists should have been able to make accurate predictions about whether the car updates that are seen in the thursday-show-and-tell media photos will improve the car or make no difference or regress the car. That never happens.

Craig Scarborough aka "scarbs" is the most technically minded jurno out there. By far. He actually knows what he's talking about.

[deadhead]

" At Monza, Nicholas Todt (Charles's manager) met with McLaren management in the team's motorhome, and on Sunday morning before the race, he met with TP Andrea Stella and lawyer Alessandro Alunni Bravi (who has previously worked with Todt Jr.'s team on driver contracts). Other meetings took place with Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll and Mercedes' Toto Wolff in Capri, where the Austrian boss also saw Max Verstappen this summer. "

its about damn time!

If the 26 car is another dud I suspect there will be two open seats at Ferrari

[deadhead]

" At Monza, Nicholas Todt (Charles's manager) met with McLaren management in the team's motorhome, and on Sunday morning before the race, he met with TP Andrea Stella and lawyer Alessandro Alunni Bravi (who has previously worked with Todt Jr.'s team on driver contracts). Other meetings took place with Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll and Mercedes' Toto Wolff in Capri, where the Austrian boss also saw Max Verstappen this summer. "

its about damn time!

“Fred is building (the team), he’s still in the process of it, But I saw lots of improvements. I’m sure that it will pay off. I just hope that it will pay off soon.”

Translation:

If 2026 no good peace out

[sypack]

" At Monza, Nicholas Todt (Charles's manager) met with McLaren management in the team's motorhome, and on Sunday morning before the race, he met with TP Andrea Stella and lawyer Alessandro Alunni Bravi (who has previously worked with Todt Jr.'s team on driver contracts). Other meetings took place with Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll and Mercedes' Toto Wolff in Capri, where the Austrian boss also saw Max Verstappen this summer. "

its about damn time!

If that's true then it would be disrespectful of Charles. Talking to another team at Monza of all places.

[atanatizante]

It's a load of BS. F1 related media don't have in depth technical knowledge, they are some journalists who have heard some jargons and other technical sounding words for many years, and with this breadcrumb like info, they draw their own conclusions and churn out 'articles' that are nothing but pure BS (who will question/correct them ? the teams themselves ? no way, they laugh and enjoy the nonsense that gets written in such way). The problem is, some of these journalists hold a huge name/power in the F1-related media space and have their 'captive audience' locked. And that's what gets the hits/clicks for their employers. So this keeps happening.
Unless someone technical from the crew says something to this effect directly to the camera/mic, don't believe any such articles.

Although I don't resonate with your entire reply, I must recognize that the truth is somehow in between. There are journalists with a technical background and even F1 knowledge, such as people working at The Race. They are usually writing their articles for certain fans with a technical background, or, as I would like it to be, for us, the F1 enthusiasts. Had they always been writing BS, as you are saying, they would lose credibility in our eyes, and they would not sell their merchandise. And even more, they would be repudiated easily even in the F1 bubble for being just some clickbait reporters ...

Probably you are referring to Mark Hughes, Jon Noble etc.. yes, they are some of the relatively good journalists and they are technically aware too, but more from a 'racing operations' and track characteristics point of view. Can you show me one article from either of them, explaining what the floor edge cuts and creases "actually do" in this ground effect era ? or what the different spacings/shapes, across teams, of the 'intake strakes' at the front of the floor's mouth "actually does" to the distribution of 'load' in the longitudinal direction (something extremely important for center of pressure) means ? Or even a generic graph/plot that shows the overall floor downforce (forget center of pressure variation) v/s ride height ? Or how the different suspension geometries across teams ends up making the floor performance weak/strong/robust/peaky ?
We never get 'actual answers' , all we get is post-mortem 'trends' after observing 'the average performance' across tracks and different wing level choices. That is something which any engineer (not necessarily a mechanical/fluid-dynamics engineer even) with a reasonable understanding of 'systems' can come up with. There is no 'technical depth' in those articles.
Forget everything, how many articles have you read, from F1-media , that actually say that the real 'work' that the floor does, is not when the car is going in a straight line, but when there is 'yaw' on the car, ie the airflow hitting the left and right halves of the car are asymmetric ? That is when the actual use of downforce comes in, in the corners.

That's what I meant, by saying that all we get to hear/read from the media, are phrases like 'seems to be more stable' 'useful downforce' , 'sensitive to ride height' etc etc - just 'observation trends' POST-MORTEM, after we have all seen the performance of the car. Otherwise, these journalists should have been able to make accurate predictions about whether the car updates that are seen in the thursday-show-and-tell media photos will improve the car or make no difference or regress the car. That never happens.

One question I have for you further: could you please enlighten me on how the ground effect car's aero is influenced by ambient temperature (except for the obvious tyre grip due to track temperature)? E.g., why is the W16 car working well in low ambient temperatures and the MCL39 in hotter conditions? Does the ambient temp influence the C.P.? I mean, Gay-Lussac's Law is applied here, or is the floor design that is working better in either low or high ambient temperature for a particular car?

[Juzh]

" At Monza, Nicholas Todt (Charles's manager) met with McLaren management in the team's motorhome, and on Sunday morning before the race, he met with TP Andrea Stella and lawyer Alessandro Alunni Bravi (who has previously worked with Todt Jr.'s team on driver contracts). Other meetings took place with Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll and Mercedes' Toto Wolff in Capri, where the Austrian boss also saw Max Verstappen this summer. "

its about damn time!

If the 26 car is another dud I suspect there will be two open seats at Ferrari

Nah, leclerc would rather drive for ferrari than win a title with another team. He almost said so as much not long ago when asked how he feels other drivers always being in a better position in terms of car competitiveness: "yes, but I'm driving for ferrari".

[ScuderiaLeo]

Ferrari embarrassing themselves once again with a completely avoidable pit lane error...

[ToffeeTyres]

Hamilton backing out of laps quite a bit but Jenson said Lewis’ last lap even after chequered flag the first two sectors before backing out were pretty much same as Piastri’s so not bad

[ScuderiaLeo]

10k fine for the team because they did an unsafe release for Leclerc in FP2

The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 16 (LEC), team representatives and reviewed video and in-car video evidence.

After a red flag period, several cars exited their garages. Car 16 (LEC) was initially instructed by a team member to leave his pit box. At that moment however, it was overlooked that car 4 (NOR) was already passing in the fast lane, approaching the Ferrari pit box and directly into the path of LEC. The team member, who was responsible for the safe conduct of releasing car 16, misjudged the situation and gave unclear instructions to LEC, who could not see NOR’s car.

As a result, both cars collided in the fast lane.

Having noted precedents for this type of breach, the Stewards are of the view that this breach warrants a more severe penalty than previously applied hence the penalty above is imposed.

[PlatinumZealot]

Although I don't resonate with your entire reply, I must recognize that the truth is somehow in between. There are journalists with a technical background and even F1 knowledge, such as people working at The Race. They are usually writing their articles for certain fans with a technical background, or, as I would like it to be, for us, the F1 enthusiasts. Had they always been writing BS, as you are saying, they would lose credibility in our eyes, and they would not sell their merchandise. And even more, they would be repudiated easily even in the F1 bubble for being just some clickbait reporters ...

Probably you are referring to Mark Hughes, Jon Noble etc.. yes, they are some of the relatively good journalists and they are technically aware too, but more from a 'racing operations' and track characteristics point of view. Can you show me one article from either of them, explaining what the floor edge cuts and creases "actually do" in this ground effect era ? or what the different spacings/shapes, across teams, of the 'intake strakes' at the front of the floor's mouth "actually does" to the distribution of 'load' in the longitudinal direction (something extremely important for center of pressure) means ? Or even a generic graph/plot that shows the overall floor downforce (forget center of pressure variation) v/s ride height ? Or how the different suspension geometries across teams ends up making the floor performance weak/strong/robust/peaky ?
We never get 'actual answers' , all we get is post-mortem 'trends' after observing 'the average performance' across tracks and different wing level choices. That is something which any engineer (not necessarily a mechanical/fluid-dynamics engineer even) with a reasonable understanding of 'systems' can come up with. There is no 'technical depth' in those articles.
Forget everything, how many articles have you read, from F1-media , that actually say that the real 'work' that the floor does, is not when the car is going in a straight line, but when there is 'yaw' on the car, ie the airflow hitting the left and right halves of the car are asymmetric ? That is when the actual use of downforce comes in, in the corners.

That's what I meant, by saying that all we get to hear/read from the media, are phrases like 'seems to be more stable' 'useful downforce' , 'sensitive to ride height' etc etc - just 'observation trends' POST-MORTEM, after we have all seen the performance of the car. Otherwise, these journalists should have been able to make accurate predictions about whether the car updates that are seen in the thursday-show-and-tell media photos will improve the car or make no difference or regress the car. That never happens.

Craig Scarborough aka "scarbs" is the most technically minded jurno out there. By far. He actually knows what he's talking about.

For me... No.. he's not the most technical out there.
He is just "Okay".. ( I think Sam is more technical but Sam keeps things simple on purpose). Albert Fabrega, Nicholas Carpentiers.. Are sorta similar to Scarbs...

I don't remember if Scarbs is an aerodynamicsg or engineer (i sorta doubt?) He has made mistakes before right here in this forum. He is good for bringing things out.. But be wary...

What he does try to do at least is stick to the topic of upgrades/car development... He will mention if it is speculation, srraight from the horses mouth, a leak, or his own interpretation. He won't go too much into car balance driver feedback -those things, as those can be a bit nebulous so I don't fault his approach.

[Seanspeed]

10k fine for the team because they did an unsafe release for Leclerc in FP2

The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 16 (LEC), team representatives and reviewed video and in-car video evidence.

After a red flag period, several cars exited their garages. Car 16 (LEC) was initially instructed by a team member to leave his pit box. At that moment however, it was overlooked that car 4 (NOR) was already passing in the fast lane, approaching the Ferrari pit box and directly into the path of LEC. The team member, who was responsible for the safe conduct of releasing car 16, misjudged the situation and gave unclear instructions to LEC, who could not see NOR’s car.

As a result, both cars collided in the fast lane.

Having noted precedents for this type of breach, the Stewards are of the view that this breach warrants a more severe penalty than previously applied hence the penalty above is imposed.

Frankly quite fortunate that's all they got.

Please just have a clean rest of the weekend.