Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has admitted that it will be more “essential” to hit the ground running in 2025 amid the impending rule change coming to Formula 1 next season.
The upcoming campaign will represent the last one with the current ground effect cars which have been in use since 2022 as an all-new regulation cycle will begin in 2026.
The revised rules will impose sweeping changes to the chassis and the engine, with a return to lighter and smaller cars also comprising an increase in electrical power.
To minimise the chance that one side will have gained a head start over the rest, the FIA imposed a ban on the wind tunnel being used for 2026 work until last month.
But with that having been raised, teams are set to face a conundrum regarding how much attention and resources to allocate to the campaign that commences next month.
That will be a more pronounced problem among the leaders as time invested in a title bid this season could be detrimental to a side’s initial prospects under the rules reset.
Vasseur, whose Ferrari squad is aiming to improve upon second place last term, has acknowledged there will be an even greater emphasis on a strong start this time around.
“Everyone has to take risks. If you don’t, you’re dead,” Vasseur told F1.com.
“Developing a new car is always complicated, but it is even more so this year because 2025 will not be a season like the others.
“We will have to start working on 2026 soon and for this reason, it will be essential to be competitive straight away in Bahrain.
“With development that will be stopped early, those who start late will have little chance of recovering.”
Ferrari making radical changes to 2025 car
The Italian marque rued a mid-season slump in 2024 costing the team in the battle with McLaren to win the Constructors’ Championship as it ended up 14 points shy.
But having ended the campaign as the highest-scoring team in the last eight rounds, Ferrari has been tipped to go one better this term amid Lewis Hamilton’s arrival.
However, with the team’s SF-25 marking a noticeable departure from its predecessor, Vasseur has warned there is no guarantee Ferrari will start 2025 in the same rich form.
“If it will be competitive, we’ll find out in Bahrain,” Vasseur told media including Motorsport Week last December in Abu Dhabi.
“Sometimes you don’t realise you’re taking risks until afterward.
“The car will be completely new; I think we’ll have less than 1 per cent of the parts in common with the 2024 car. It’s a different project, but the same applies to everyone.”
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