Ferrari introduced a major suspension upgrade in the 2025 F1 Belgian Grand Prix weekend, which was expected to shape their performance for the rest of the season. While a lot of positives were expected, it did not show enough improvement on the timesheets.
The Italian team has struggled since the start of the season. The SF-25 failed to perform against its competitors and is still far from clinching a race win. Amidst this, Ferrari introduced a series of upgrades in recent race weekends. It began with a simple floor upgrade in Austria, which showcased some improvement at Silverstone. Later, the team also introduced a suspension upgrade for the Belgian GP.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had the opportunity to test the upgraded car during a filming day at Mugello. However, they did not get enough laps in. Moreover, the Belgian GP was a Sprint weekend, so both drivers only had about an hour to test the car out on the track. While the car might have been a little better at driving, there seemed to be no changes against their competitors.
So did the much-anticipated suspension upgrade fail? There were quite a few different perspectives around Ferrari, but here’s what the top order had to say about it.
Ferrari boss and drivers deliver their opinion on the new suspension upgrade.
Lewis Hamilton had been open about the changes the SF-25 had with the upgrades. During a media session earlier in the weekend, he did reveal that there was no real change in the simulator. However, he also stated that the car might improve throughout the length of the season.
“On the simulator, there’s no difference, but I’m sure across different circuits perhaps there’ll be benefits,” he said (via Sportskeeda).
Following up on the weekend, he had a difficult Sprint Qualifying session. The rear axle on his car locked up while downshifting on the final corner of his final hotlap, which saw him being disqualified in SQ1. Shortly after that, a dejected Hamilton mentioned that the car did not feel any different. When asked about how the car was, he said
“Not great. There’s not a lot to say,” (via Sky Sports).
“No,” he said when asked if the upgrades made the car any different.
While this doesn’t sound good for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc had a different verdict. He managed to qualify P4 for the Sprint Race. When asked about the upgrades, he replied positively, but also mentioned that other teams have brought in upgrades as well.
“I felt the changes, but today the gap was huge. I’m sure we did a step forward, but for some reason the McLaren seems to be even faster than usual around this track!” He said (via Sky Sports).
He also mentioned that the car’s drivability had improved from its previous version.
“Yeah, the feeling was pretty good. I’m happy the car feels better, but even though the car feels pretty good, we are still seven tenths off,” Leclerc added.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur echoed Leclerc’s statement. He mentioned that the data from the car was positive (regarding the upgrade). However, considering that other teams had introduced upgrades, too, the improvement wasn’t very noticeable.
“The data we collected matches our expectations, and that’s always a good sign,” he said. “But this weekend, everyone has brought upgrades.”
“That means if you take a step forward by two or three tenths, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be two or three tenths ahead of everyone else — because if everyone else makes progress too, you might still find yourself in the same position.”
Despite their uncompetitiveness this season, Ferrari has managed to keep itself in second position in the Constructors’ Championship. The team would have to work on better upgrades throughout the season’s length if they want to hold on to the position. Meanwhile, McLaren still leads the pack, with Oscar Piastri on pole for the Sprint at Belgium, with a new track record.
