This forum contains threads to discuss teams themselves. Anything not technical about the cars, including restructuring, performances etc belongs here.
AMuS saying "McLaren starts strong but Ferrari is just "immature", not slow"
This does give me vibes from beginning in 2023 with the “capricious diva”.
All it remains to be seen, hopefully they know what they’re doing and we see proper competitive season.
They don’t know what they’re doing. They built the fastest car of all to start these regs off in 2022 just by luck and coincidence.
Also, let’s just ignore the SF-23 was a byproduct of TD39 which not only slowed down the F1-75, but also destroyed further development plans. Let’s furthermore ignore that Ferrari have done an amazing job bouncing back with the really competitive SF-24.
Yes, in short, they surely don’t know what they’re doing.
Leclerc will have more fuel if he’s using less power. The first stint would have been the most representative
Eh, its very marginal, you can’t really save that much fuel. Unless you’re going into really heavy fuel saving mode, which would be reflected both on laptimes and in telemetry with obvious LiCo everywhere, which wasn’t the case.
I thinl Ferrari has more information than you. Do not check f1 tempo and think you know Ferrari engine modes lol
Nobody is denying that. It's equally wrong to sell for a fact that they were underfueled as it is to say they were overfueled, unless the teams outright made the information public (you would need the exact loads of all, Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari to properly compare, having only one is not enough btw).
Also, my comment to which you replied to has absolutely nothing to do with engine modes. It's pretty obvious Ferrari was actually running either a lower PU mode or an aggressive energy harvesting mode for at least one of their long run stints (probably the entire thing though). You don't need insider information to see that.
The comment you replied to was related to fuel loads and how much less fuel a lower PU mode uses, which is in fact pretty marginal at the speeds an F1 car runs around a track. If you want to save fuel in an F1 car, the measures to do so are usually pretty drastic and obvious. So the difference in fuel burned from running a less powerful PU mode is not a significant factor when comparing the weight of the car as the stint progresses
I read an article on PF1 where they interviewed Rob Smedley. He surmised Ferrari may have switched suspension in order to evaluate both options prior to the 2026 season. If so, this season would be a stepping stone to 2026.
The inconsistency in braking and gearshift points at this stage tells us that Ferrari were not working on efficiency in Bahrain, but on their overall understanding of the car. The car has changed much more than everyone else on the starting grid, so it's not surprising that it took them longer to come to an equilibrium.
What's more, on the morning of day three, Charles ran 6 laps on the old C3 with high fuel consumption in 30+ degree track temperatures and high winds, which were the worst conditions for tire grades. Considering the SF25 is running with a non-ideal rear wing load + VERY challenging conditions, this segment is good.
...
On another hand its not the end of the world,the team didnt worked for Bahrain performance and the car is all new with the biggest mechanical change of the grid.
If unbalanced SF25 is already equal to W16 there is no need to be worried.
W16 is a really good car btw
The Mcl39 is actually too strong in slow corners in race trim,thats when that car build laptime very strong front end and the rear can follow in high fuels (not so much in low fuels).
But actual version of SF25 is just there in fast and medium speed corners
Lets see how a balanced SF25 can do in slow corners vs Mcl39.
From those 3 days we learnt that SF25 has a very good front end,the car is sharp in entry end both our drivers like that, however the rear cant follow in slow corners yet.
This is a very fixable and normal issue
The balance problem is only in there in high fuel runs.
The car behavior in low fuel is already very good and promising.
Rotation in slow corners,traction in exit,front end precision.
Look at that onboard from Lewis,there is no reason to panic yet
AMuS saying "McLaren starts strong but Ferrari is just "immature", not slow"
This does give me vibes from beginning in 2023 with the “capricious diva”.
All it remains to be seen, hopefully they know what they’re doing and we see proper competitive season.
They don’t know what they’re doing. They built the fastest car of all to start these regs off in 2022 just by luck and coincidence.
Also, let’s just ignore the SF-23 was a byproduct of TD39 which not only slowed down the F1-75, but also destroyed further development plans. Let’s furthermore ignore that Ferrari have done an amazing job bouncing back with the really competitive SF-24.
Yes, in short, they surely don’t know what they’re doing.
Ferrari is a very good team but something is obviously missing and it’s certainly not the drivers! They’ve had top drivers for over a decade now and zero championships.
This does give me vibes from beginning in 2023 with the “capricious diva”.
All it remains to be seen, hopefully they know what they’re doing and we see proper competitive season.
They don’t know what they’re doing. They built the fastest car of all to start these regs off in 2022 just by luck and coincidence.
Also, let’s just ignore the SF-23 was a byproduct of TD39 which not only slowed down the F1-75, but also destroyed further development plans. Let’s furthermore ignore that Ferrari have done an amazing job bouncing back with the really competitive SF-24.
Yes, in short, they surely don’t know what they’re doing.
Ferrari is a very good team but something is obviously missing and it’s certainly not the drivers! They’ve had top drivers for over a decade now and zero championships.
The inconsistency in braking and gearshift points at this stage tells us that Ferrari were not working on efficiency in Bahrain, but on their overall understanding of the car. The car has changed much more than everyone else on the starting grid, so it's not surprising that it took them longer to come to an equilibrium.
What's more, on the morning of day three, Charles ran 6 laps on the old C3 with high fuel consumption in 30+ degree track temperatures and high winds, which were the worst conditions for tire grades. Considering the SF25 is running with a non-ideal rear wing load + VERY challenging conditions, this segment is good. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GlAi_TxXIAA ... name=small
...
On another hand its not the end of the world,the team didnt worked for Bahrain performance and the car is all new with the biggest mechanical change of the grid.
If unbalanced SF25 is already equal to W16 there is no need to be worried.
W16 is a really good car btw
The Mcl39 is actually too strong in slow corners in race trim,thats when that car build laptime very strong front end and the rear can follow in high fuels (not so much in low fuels).
But actual version of SF25 is just there in fast and medium speed corners
Lets see how a balanced SF25 can do in slow corners vs Mcl39.
From those 3 days we learnt that SF25 has a very good front end,the car is sharp in entry end both our drivers like that, however the rear cant follow in slow corners yet.
This is a very fixable and normal issue
The balance problem is only in there in high fuel runs.
The car behavior in low fuel is already very good and promising.
Rotation in slow corners,traction in exit,front end precision.
Look at that onboard from Lewis,there is no reason to panic yet
The problem is that this year is unique as there is going to be a massive regulation change for 2026, therefore it won't be possible to upgrade the car like they did last year with multiple big packages through the season.
They need to fix the balance ASAP or the championship is toast because McL is already ahead by a significant margin.
The problem is that this year is unique as there is going to be a massive regulation change for 2026, therefore it won't be possible to upgrade the car like they did last year with multiple big packages through the season.
They need to fix the balance ASAP or the championship is toast because McL is already ahead by a significant margin.
Well first we have to find out if the car needs upgrades to fix it, nobody but the team knows if a balance can be found or not, at least in the same Bahrain a more loaded rear wing will help, even McLaren abandoned a similar wing in favor of a more loaded one after the first morning session.
And when in the morning on day 3 the temperature rose to the values that will be at the grand prix, I did not see that McL is already ahead by a significant margin, I saw the car, which is also not perfect, Lando struggled with the car and not a few.
But in general it makes no sense to draw such conclusions after only 3 days of testing on a non-universal track at very low temperatures where teams are testing the stuff and not competing, nah I pass.
Last edited by yooogurt on 02 Mar 2025, 23:44, edited 2 times in total.
The inconsistency in braking and gearshift points at this stage tells us that Ferrari were not working on efficiency in Bahrain, but on their overall understanding of the car. The car has changed much more than everyone else on the starting grid, so it's not surprising that it took them longer to come to an equilibrium.
What's more, on the morning of day three, Charles ran 6 laps on the old C3 with high fuel consumption in 30+ degree track temperatures and high winds, which were the worst conditions for tire grades. Considering the SF25 is running with a non-ideal rear wing load + VERY challenging conditions, this segment is good. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GlAi_TxXIAA ... name=small
...
On another hand its not the end of the world,the team didnt worked for Bahrain performance and the car is all new with the biggest mechanical change of the grid.
If unbalanced SF25 is already equal to W16 there is no need to be worried.
W16 is a really good car btw
The Mcl39 is actually too strong in slow corners in race trim,thats when that car build laptime very strong front end and the rear can follow in high fuels (not so much in low fuels).
But actual version of SF25 is just there in fast and medium speed corners
Lets see how a balanced SF25 can do in slow corners vs Mcl39.
From those 3 days we learnt that SF25 has a very good front end,the car is sharp in entry end both our drivers like that, however the rear cant follow in slow corners yet.
This is a very fixable and normal issue
The balance problem is only in there in high fuel runs.
The car behavior in low fuel is already very good and promising.
Rotation in slow corners,traction in exit,front end precision.
Look at that onboard from Lewis,there is no reason to panic yet
The Mercedes pace is fake when its hot they.ll be 5 tenths back like always
The inconsistency in braking and gearshift points at this stage tells us that Ferrari were not working on efficiency in Bahrain, but on their overall understanding of the car. The car has changed much more than everyone else on the starting grid, so it's not surprising that it took them longer to come to an equilibrium.
What's more, on the morning of day three, Charles ran 6 laps on the old C3 with high fuel consumption in 30+ degree track temperatures and high winds, which were the worst conditions for tire grades. Considering the SF25 is running with a non-ideal rear wing load + VERY challenging conditions, this segment is good. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GlAi_TxXIAA ... name=small
...
On another hand its not the end of the world,the team didnt worked for Bahrain performance and the car is all new with the biggest mechanical change of the grid.
If unbalanced SF25 is already equal to W16 there is no need to be worried.
W16 is a really good car btw
The Mcl39 is actually too strong in slow corners in race trim,thats when that car build laptime very strong front end and the rear can follow in high fuels (not so much in low fuels).
But actual version of SF25 is just there in fast and medium speed corners
Lets see how a balanced SF25 can do in slow corners vs Mcl39.
From those 3 days we learnt that SF25 has a very good front end,the car is sharp in entry end both our drivers like that, however the rear cant follow in slow corners yet.
This is a very fixable and normal issue
The balance problem is only in there in high fuel runs.
The car behavior in low fuel is already very good and promising.
Rotation in slow corners,traction in exit,front end precision.
Look at that onboard from Lewis,there is no reason to panic yet
The Mercedes pace is fake when its hot they.ll be 5 tenths back like always
I agree let's wait for Melbourne, but if I were you, I wouldn't say that about Mercedes. I hope you saying that won't jinx Ferrari.
The inconsistency in braking and gearshift points at this stage tells us that Ferrari were not working on efficiency in Bahrain, but on their overall understanding of the car. The car has changed much more than everyone else on the starting grid, so it's not surprising that it took them longer to come to an equilibrium.
What's more, on the morning of day three, Charles ran 6 laps on the old C3 with high fuel consumption in 30+ degree track temperatures and high winds, which were the worst conditions for tire grades. Considering the SF25 is running with a non-ideal rear wing load + VERY challenging conditions, this segment is good. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GlAi_TxXIAA ... name=small
...
On another hand its not the end of the world,the team didnt worked for Bahrain performance and the car is all new with the biggest mechanical change of the grid.
If unbalanced SF25 is already equal to W16 there is no need to be worried.
W16 is a really good car btw
The Mcl39 is actually too strong in slow corners in race trim,thats when that car build laptime very strong front end and the rear can follow in high fuels (not so much in low fuels).
But actual version of SF25 is just there in fast and medium speed corners
Lets see how a balanced SF25 can do in slow corners vs Mcl39.
From those 3 days we learnt that SF25 has a very good front end,the car is sharp in entry end both our drivers like that, however the rear cant follow in slow corners yet.
This is a very fixable and normal issue
The balance problem is only in there in high fuel runs.
The car behavior in low fuel is already very good and promising.
Rotation in slow corners,traction in exit,front end precision.
Look at that onboard from Lewis,there is no reason to panic yet
The Mercedes pace is fake when its hot they.ll be 5 tenths back like always
I agree let's wait for Melbourne, but if I were you, I wouldn't say that about Mercedes. I hope you saying that won't jinx Ferrari.
The Mercedes platform is certainly an unquantifiable datum at this point.
Historical performance shows with some significant compromise, not a verified reference from which to judge this Ferrari SF25.
The McL is likely a more stable and observable comparison in this stage of testing to give "some" indication.
As noted though, testing at Bahrain, with car development for the season, is always going to be a difficult to read outcome.
A bespoke setup for each coming track will show far more of the levels available (that's for all teams) at which point we as observers will get to fully appreciate latent quality and pace in true optimal delivery.
For the most part, people around the general Internet are projecting season performances to make themselves LOOK informed but without intimate internal knowledge and analysis, they are more a best guess in reality.
Many of the teams have shown good potential, we'll soon get to see it play out under real scrutiny of race weekend.
but without intimate internal knowledge and analysis, they are more a best guess in reality.