Ferrari ramps up testing in Barcelona as Hamilton prepares for 2025 title challenge
Ferrari is set to take a significant step in its preparations for the 2025 Formula 1 season with an intensive three-day private test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya starting on Tuesday 28 January. This session, featuring Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, will allow the team to refine critical aspects of the car ahead of the eagerly anticipated launch of the SF-25 on 19 February.
For Hamilton, this test represents a crucial opportunity to complete more laps and familiarise himself with Ferrari’s operations in favourable conditions. His first outing at Fiorano was hampered by damp weather, which limited the seven-time world champion’s ability to push the car and provide valuable feedback. Now, with clearer conditions forecast for Barcelona, Hamilton and Leclerc can maximise their track time, accelerating their pre-season adaptation.
Ferrari’s key objectives: tyre management and race starts
In addition to Hamilton’s adaptation, Ferrari has two major technical concerns that will be at the centre of the Barcelona tests:
Tyre Wear and Management
Ferrari has struggled with tyre degradation in recent years, a weakness that has often cost them race wins against rivals such as Red Bull and Mercedes. With Loïc Serra, a leading expert in composite materials, now overseeing technical development, the team aims to refine strategies that will improve tyre longevity during races.
Although the compounds used in these tests are different to those Pirelli will supply for the 2025 season, engineers will simulate various tyre pressure and warm-up strategies to optimise long-term performance. These insights will be crucial in addressing Ferrari’s historic decline in race pace compared to its competition.
Clutch and power delivery at race starts
Another Ferrari race starts is a room for improvement. Clutch engagement and electronic power management for consistent and powerful starts by evaluating these adjustments, pro
A crucial moment for Ferrari’s 2025 aspirations
Ferrari is determined to mount a serious championship challenge in a 2-year chase for SF-25, February 19, iFerrari’s most competitive competitor in years. HClosing the gap to Max Verstappen and Red Bull re
With the season opener in Bahrain just in critical phase. Every launch performance could be a title fight.
Will Ferrari’s improvements finally put it back on top in *2025? The *Barcelona test will offer the first real clues on how to incite Formula 1’s fiercest competition
