Ferrari could switch to Red Bull’s suspension concept for Hamilton’s arrival in 2025

Ferrari could finally opt for a pull-rod front suspension, a concept successfully used by the current world champion, Max Verstappen. The Scuderia has already made significant progress this year with its SF-24, winning races and finding itself in a three-way battle with Red Bull and McLaren.

But as teams reach the limits of the current rules, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find developments that can make a difference in the battle for the podium. An important development package brought to the Imola Grand Prix has yielded good results, while the next aerodynamic package is scheduled for the British Grand Prix, initially planned for Hungary.

In the meantime, two other rear wings appear, after the high downforce one used in Monaco. There will be a low drag version in Canada and then a version adapted to medium-speed circuits in Spain. However, the way Ferrari approaches improvements is changing, as admitted this week by the team director, Fred Vasseur, who stated that gains are becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.

» With the cost cap and current regulations, you have to manage both sides, and we will make improvements when we have something to bring, he said. « What needs to be kept in mind is that there is a kind of convergence of performance and that the development rate is much lower than it was two years ago. This means that whenever someone brings an improvement, and I think it’s true for us, but it’s true for everyone, the gain is smaller than it was two years ago, and that’s normal. »

Ferrari ready to make significant changes

Ferrari could be ready to be more aggressive with the changes made to its 2025 car than might have been imagined a few months ago. The work has already begun on next year’s challenge. Frédéric Vasseur says that three projects are already underway in Maranello. « Part of the team is working on the upcoming updates we will see this season, and another is already focused on next year’s car », he said. « We have already given the green light to the 2025 car. Furthermore, work has already started some time ago on the power unit for 2026. As for the chassis and aerodynamics, we can make some assumptions but nothing more since there is no regulation yet. »

Sources have also suggested that Ferrari’s designers have understood certain key aspects that would bring gains for the 2025 car and could make a big difference in this tight battle with Red Bull and McLaren. Ferrari may be ready to switch to a push-rod front suspension, with the idea of gaining an edge in this regard considering that it would probably be subject to a change in 2026. Red Bull and McLaren already have this setup, with a design that clearly offers aerodynamic advantages by improving the airflow around the front of the car and, crucially, for the Venturi tunnels underneath.

Revising the suspension in this way would require a completely new chassis as new attachments would be needed for the suspension arms and the movement of internal mechanisms. Any decision to modify the suspension could also open the door to a change in the driver’s position, which could help improve weight distribution as the team seeks to find gains in all possible areas.

Ferrari’s potential to adopt a front suspension style closer to Red Bull’s comes as the team continues its efforts to attract Adrian Newey to help design the 2026 car once he is released from his current contract early next year. This season, Ferrari is one of the few teams using a pull-rod rear suspension (its customer team Haas is also using it), but is convinced that there are no significant gains to be had with the push-rod suspension concept that other teams use on this part of the car.