Ferrari data highlights critical race issue that even their latest planned updates might not fix

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It’s evident that Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur isn’t giving up on the 2025 Formula 1 season yet.

The Belgian Grand Prix represents the start of the second half of the current Formula 1 campaign.

Ferrari sit second in the constructors’ championship, the same position they finished last year.

However, while the gap to McLaren in 2024 was just 14 points when the chequered flag was flown in Abu Dhabi, the deficit currently stands at 238 points this season.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are still waiting to win their first Grand Prix this year, Sprint events excluded.

Ferrari are set to introduce a new rear suspension when they arrive in Spa, to join the new floor and diffuser they installed in the previous two races.

The new suspension is set to improve Ferrari’s performance based on simulations, but it might not be enough to fix the most glaring issue they’re dealing with this season.

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Ferrari data suggests dirty air is causing Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s biggest issues

A report from Analisi Tecnica F1 has done a deep dive into the data of Ferrari’s first season with Hamilton and Leclerc as teammates.

What they’ve discovered is very concerning, with Ferrari’s race pace in practice sessions better than the race itself on eight occasions out of the first 12 Grand Prix in 2025.

The problem was particularly prevalent in Bahrain, Imola and Silverstone, although the changeable weather and Leclerc’s confusing British Grand Prix strategy would have played a role in this analysis.

Hamilton and Leclerc have both looked promising in free practice sessions throughout the year, with the seven-time world champion topping FP1 at his home race.

However, it’s becoming clear that Ferrari’s best practice runs are being done in clear air, something they don’t normally have the luxury of during races.

It’s believed the SF-25 ‘suffers from dirty air more than other cars’ this season, and that combined with their deficit to the likes of McLaren, Mercedes and Max Verstappen in qualifying is a recipe for disaster.

The convergence of the grid this season makes overtaking exceptionally difficult, and if Leclerc and Hamilton can’t run behind another car for long, then their progress during races is always going to stall.

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Ferrari are experiencing ‘discrepancy’ between tyre performance during simulations

Ferrari will hope that the new rear suspension makes their car fast enough to outqualify some of their rivals, which will negate some of the issues they’re experiencing in other cars’ dirty air.

However, Ferrari are one of several teams that are having issues getting their tyres in the right window, especially during qualifying.

Pirelli keep bringing softer tyre compounds to try and encourage teams to use different strategies, but that is making extracting the maximum potential out of the tyres, especially during qualifying, far more difficult.

The report suggests Ferrari ‘always’ have a ‘discrepancy’ between what their data is telling them about their tyre performance and the reality.

Ferrari are unsure if their updates will help increase the operating window of Pirelli’s tyres, and the SF-25 in general is very tricky to set up.

Spa is a Sprint Race weekend, giving Hamilton and Leclerc just one hour of running in practice before their first qualifying session.

It’s why Ferrari are running a private test in Mugello on Wednesday, to give themselves the best opportunity to know if their final major update is going to make a positive impact.