Ferrari ‘sources’ deliver new rear suspension update verdict after private Lewis Hamilton test

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Ferrari might be the Formula 1 team putting in the most work behind the scenes on their 2025 car.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been working hard in the build-up to the Belgian Grand Prix to make sure their cars are in the best shape possible for the second half of the season.

Many teams have already switched full focus to next season, with the 2026 F1 regulations providing one of the biggest changes and challenges in the sport’s history.

Williams and Alpine have 2026 in their sights, and it won’t be long before McLaren can make that shift as well, with the constructors’ championship almost sewn up already.

Ferrari, on the other hand, are working hard to fix the SF-25 to try and secure second in the championship.

A fix to Ferrari’s power steering is being worked on, but the biggest update is set to be to their rear suspension.

Ferrari’s new rear suspension could be vital to how competitive Hamilton and Leclerc are during the second half of the campaign.

Fred Vasseur’s team took part in a private test and filming day in the build-up to the race at Spa and have reached a conclusion about their latest update.

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

Ferrari ‘sources’ have ‘cautious optimism’ for new rear suspension after Lewis Hamilton test

A report from Formula1.it has shared more details about the private test that took place last week at Mugello.

Ferrari only had 200km worth of running to get as much data as possible, which is why the initial set-up of the car was left to the likes of Zhou Guanyu and Antonio Giovinazzi.

Hamilton isn’t normally a fan of private tests, but this was seen as so important to the future of the SF-25 that he was required alongside Leclerc.

The assessment from Mugello ‘appears to be positive’ with Ferrari ‘sources’ suggesting that ‘cautious optimism’ has started to creep in among those in the team.

It appears as though the data that Hamilton and Leclerc gathered correlated with what Ferrari expected, which is a problem that many teams have had in recent seasons, particularly with their simulators.

Leclerc was left unsure about the new update, but if it works for Hamilton, then that could give the seven-time world champion a crucial advantage for the remainder of the campaign.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Ferrari adapted the Mugello track to get the best data from their rear suspension update

Max Verstappen would love Mugello to be added to the F1 calendar, and Hamilton is also a big fan of the circuit.

Hamilton took pole position, the fastest lap and victory on Formula 1’s only official visit to Mugello for the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix.

It was Ferrari’s 1000th race in F1, although Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel could only finish eighth and 10th that day.

As part of Ferrari’s private Mugello test, the team ‘modified’ the track to get the best data possible for their updates.

The report from Formula1.it suggests that Hamilton can be seen ‘leaning over the pit wall’ and the associated audio doesn’t match the original layout of the track.

Leclerc brakes and takes a corner that shouldn’t be there, which suggests Ferrari want to know more about how the rear suspension behaves in slow-speed sections.

Small details like that could make all the difference this season, with drivers regularly split by a few hundredths of a second this year.