Ferrari now hoping ‘internal’ regret over 2025 F1 car design choice will benefit them next season

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Ferrari are stuck in limbo heading into the second half of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

On one hand, Ferrari will be desperate to see Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton stand on the top step of the podium at least once before the campaign ends.

Leclerc has five podiums to his name, and while Hamilton has won a Sprint Race, Fred Vasseur’s team have performed far below expectations.

Although Ferrari are second in the constructors’ championship, they sit nearly 300 points behind McLaren in the standings and have no chance of catching Andrea Stella’s team.

While McLaren embarked on evolving their car over the winter break, Vasseur’s team revolutionised their design.

This led to some ‘internal’ regret at Ferrari that they might have been too radical in their design choices for this season.

However, with F1’s regulations changing in 2026, Ferrari might have made a far smarter decision than many realised despite the difficulties they’ve faced over the past six months.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Ferrari’s pull-rod suspension change might be perfect for the 2026 Formula 1 season

At a media lunch following the end of the 2025 campaign, via Motorsport Week, Vasseur explained to journalists about this year’s car: “If it will be competitive, we’ll find out in Bahrain.

“Sometimes you don’t realise you’re taking risks until afterwards.

“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.”

A report from Formula Uno Analysis Tecnica has shared more details about the design decisions made by Ferrari heading into this year.

Not only did Ferrari switch from a front push-rod to a pull-rod suspension system this season, but one of the biggest talking points has been an update to the rear suspension that was introduced in the past few races.

This is because Ferrari’s car was unable to run as low as both drivers would like, leading to Hamilton’s disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Although Ferrari still need to do more testing, Leclerc’s pole position in Hungary suggests the new set-up is a step in the right direction.

Ferrari now have a pull-rod suspension at the front and back of their cars, while many of their rivals have continued to use a push-rod system for the rear axle.

It’s believed that the low noses of the 2026 F1 cars should benefit from both suspensions being pull-rod, hopefully giving Ferrari an advantage over other teams on the grid.

Even if the likes of McLaren and Red Bull follow suit over the winter, Ferrari’s additional experience could prove pivotal when the regulations change.

READ MORE: Who is Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur? Everything you need to know

Ferrari using the 2025 Formula 1 season to prepare for 2026’s regulation changes

It’s believed that Ferrari will ‘take a further step by optimising their recent modifications’ at the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix.

Although there are still 10 races this season where Ferrari will want to continue to improve and challenge McLaren, next year will also be at the forefront of their minds.

Ferrari ‘may preview some concepts’ for next year’s car and try and make the SF-25 easier to drive for Hamilton and Leclerc.

With less emphasis on the importance of the underside of the cars from next year, nailing both sets of suspension is going to be more important than ever.

The ‘goal’ for Ferrari is to use the rest of this season as an ‘extended test’ so that Ferrari can finally return to the top of the constructors’ championship for the first time in nearly two decades.