Charles Leclerc was first on-hand to drive the evolutionary Ferrari SF-25 Formula 1 car during a Wednesday shakedown at the Fiorano circuit.
Less than 24 hours after Ferrari unveiled its livery during the F1 75 launch event at London’s O2 Arena, the Scuderia was back in Italy to roll out its new car on track for the first time.
Leclerc was the first to drive the machine on Wednesday morning to kick off Ferrari’s proposed 200km of filming day running.
Despite finishing second in the 2024 Constructors’ championship by the tender margin of 14 points and achieving five GP wins across the season, Ferrari has committed to redeveloping its car concept.
Feeling it had exhausted the regulations to their limit with the SF-24, the new car is “a complete evolution from every aspect” according to the team.
The biggest change comes from the front suspension, which has changed from a pushrod to a pull rod set-up for the first time since 2015.
Speaking of the new design, Ferrari Technical Director, Chassis, Loic Serra said “The SF-25 is an evolution of the SF-24, which gave us an excellent starting point to work from.
“Having said that, we have worked hard, changing 99% of the car, evolving its architecture to maximise performance.
“The pull rod front suspension is only the most obvious of many significant changes.
“We can expect the coming season to be very closely contested, with outcomes decided by thousandths of a second.
“We are all set to give it our best shot to find those gains, even the marginal ones, that can make the difference. We are looking forward to being competitive right from the very first race.”
Leclerc targeting maiden title with Ferrari SF-25
Leclerc had a career-best campaign in 2024, taking impressive victories at Monaco, Monza and Austin en route to third in the Drivers’ standings.
This year, he wants to win an elusive maiden title and hopes the arrival of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton on the other side of the garage is just the source of inspiration he needs in order to succeed.
“I’m really excited about the launch of the SF-25,” Leclerc said.
“Every year we push hard to improve and the whole team has been working flat out for months now.
“Last season saw a really tight fight and we came very close to taking the title.
“This year, our goal is clear: we want to win the Constructors’ World Championship and my personal target is to win the Drivers’ Title.
“Since Lewis joined the team we have already been working very closely together and I believe that his experience and approach will prove to be a source of inspiration for me.
“I am physically and mentally more than ready to face this new season and I can’t wait to get on track to do everything I can to put Scuderia Ferrari HP back on top.”
READ MORE – Ferrari launches SF-25 for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
