Ferrari’s F1 upgrade plan and timeline for success revealed

Ferrari may have achieved just one podium finish in the 2025 Formula 1 season so far, courtesy of Charles Leclerc in Jeddah, but it expects much more to come in the next few months.

The Maranello-based outfit is counting on the FIA’s stricter front wing tests, which will be introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix in late May, to make substantial progress compared to other top teams.

Leclerc believes the FIA’s clampdown on front wing flexibility will play a pivotal role in a potential uptick in form for Ferrari, implying that some of its rivals – McLaren and Mercedes in particular – may be excelling in using flexible aero elements that still pass static tests successfully.

On top of this, Ferrari is set to start introducing a major upgrade package at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – the next race after this weekend’s Miami round – aiming at improving the SF-25’s downforce; it is scheduled to be fully unleashed two weeks later, at Barcelona.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Lars Baron - Motorsport Images

The goal is to address some of the car’s flaws, including the rear end’s lack of downforce, which causes instability – and therefore particularly impacts Lewis Hamilton’s confidence under braking and on corner entry. Leclerc, meanwhile, has been better at compensating through his driving style.

It’s also a matter of merely gaining performance, as Ferrari has been trailing McLaren by 0.323s in qualifying over the last four rounds, which can also be explained by the SF-25 representing a smaller step forward than the MCL39 compared to its respective predecessors – 0.857s to 1.359s. The Scuderia may have initially overestimated how competitive its new challenger was going to be.

Now, for all these reasons, Barcelona will be a real litmus test. Expectations should however be kept in check, given rivals will presumably introduce updates as well, and the previous technical directive on rear wing flexibility ultimately had little impact.