Ferrari aims to silence critics with a fresh upgrade in Japan, hoping a new floor can revive their fading 2025 F1 campaign.
Scuderia is aiming to bounce back from a rough start to the 2025 Formula 1 season with a major update at the Japanese Grand Prix in just over a week.
After a chaotic weekend in China, the Maranello-based team will introduce a new floor for the SF-25 at Suzuka. The move comes amid growing pressure from the Italian media following a disappointing double disqualification in Shanghai.
Lewis Hamilton won the sprint race from pole, but Ferrari’s pace faded after experimenting with car setup—a strategy only Charles Leclerc attempted. Unfortunately, things got worse after the race: Leclerc’s car was found underweight, while Hamilton’s (driving a Ferrari-powered customer car) was disqualified for excessive floor wear.
Despite the setback, Leclerc is staying optimistic.
“I felt progress with the car and there was real potential,” he said. “But I was killing the front tyres and lost around 30 points of downforce, which is massive. I truly believe we had the pace to fight the front runners—especially the McLarens. Lewis showed that in the sprint.”
“I didn’t deliver in qualifying, but I was really looking forward to the race. Sadly, we couldn’t show what the car was capable of.”
Back home, however, the Italian press was far less forgiving.
“La Repubblica” ran the headline: “SOS Ferrari”, while journalist Alessandra Retico stressed urgency: “There’s no time to waste—the new floor will already be in Japan.”
La Stampa’s Jacopo D’Orsi echoed that message: “Maranello seems to have chosen a recovery path, starting with a new floor design that could debut as early as Suzuka.”
Still, not everyone believes the team is in crisis. Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko downplayed the drama: “They’ll get things sorted. I wouldn’t rule Ferrari out yet.”
Technical analyst Paolo Filisetti of La Gazzetta dello Sport agreed: “The project is still immature, but the potential is there. Updates to the floor are coming to better manage ride height.”
With the spotlight firmly on them, all eyes will be on Ferrari’s response in Japan—and whether this next evolution can put their season back on track.
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