The SF-25 captured everybody’s consideration on the night of February 18—regardless of the continuing F1 75 Reside occasion at London’s O2 Enviornment, the place all of the groups unveiled their 2025 liveries—and once more yesterday when it hit the monitor for the primary time, with Charles Leclerc taking the wheel earlier than Lewis Hamilton had his flip at Fiorano.
In keeping with technical director Loic Serra, the brand new Ferrari is an evolution of the already strong SF-24. Nonetheless, as we all know, engine growth has been frozen since 2022.
Enrico Gualtieri, head of Ferrari’s energy unit division, defined how his workforce has labored to make small but significant enhancements in efficiency and reliability whereas additionally aiding the aerodynamics division in enhancing effectivity.
“Engine growth has been frozen since 2022, which means we can’t change any {hardware} or introduce new elements throughout the energy unit,” Enrico Gualtieri advised in a latest interview for the Italian web site Automoto. “That doesn’t imply we will’t optimize what we have already got. We’ve labored arduous and at last managed to refine our methods to higher combine our PU into our operations, significantly throughout all facets of a race weekend, to maximise each efficiency benefit. After all, nothing groundbreaking—particularly in comparison with what we may obtain when growth time was limitless. We have now merely regained the efficiency potential we misplaced final 12 months, which can make the grid much more aggressive.”
“For the primary time, we didn’t must depend on auxiliary elements however as an alternative centered on integrating the facility unit seamlessly with the brand new automotive. In actuality, we had already achieved a correct match by the tip of 2022. Our design selections had been primarily aimed toward giving the aerodynamics workforce full freedom by occupying as little area as doable throughout the automotive’s structure. We’ve been working with this energy unit for ten years now—an extremely lengthy journey. It started in 2014, although issues didn’t go as we had hoped. Nonetheless, it was a useful studying expertise that supplied new alternatives. A very powerful factor is that we’ve gained expertise, and in the long run, we made important progress.”
This 12 months, Ferrari faces a twin problem: growing the SF-25 with the hope of preventing for the title till the ultimate race whereas additionally engaged on the 2026 automotive, which might be constructed beneath the brand new technical rules set to take impact on January 1 subsequent 12 months.
“We’re absolutely centered on launching the 2025 automotive and managing all the season. That stated, 2026 is getting nearer, so this 12 months might be important and intensely demanding in that regard. One of the best ways to be ready is to work on it whereas maintaining our present season’s targets in sight. Within the coming weeks, we are going to dive deeper into growing the facility unit for the following regulatory cycle.”
Naturally, Enrico Gualtieri additionally addressed the arrival of Lewis Hamilton and his preliminary impressions of the Ferrari engine. Whereas he didn’t disclose any particular particulars, he confirmed that Ferrari sought suggestions from the seven-time world champion, evaluating his expertise with the Ferrari V6 to the Mercedes energy models he used for years.
“We had discussions with him, after all. We’re extra desirous about his general really feel for our engine somewhat than making direct comparisons. However sure, his enter has been extremely useful. Drivers are, in a method, our most superior sensor within the automotive—typically much more exact than bodily sensors. His suggestions has been fascinating and intensely useful in understanding how he perceives our engine. He has been very engaged within the discussions, and his involvement in adapting to the Ferrari energy unit has been drastically useful.”
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