Ferrari’s 2024 season started strongly, but as the year progressed, they began to falter. McLaren and Mercedes overtook them in terms of development, and Ferrari fell to fourth in terms of performance. According to recent reports, Ferrari has now decided to sacrifice their 2024 car concept for the remainder of the season and focus on developing next year’s challenger- which will be driven by Lewis Hamilton.
According to Planet F1, Ferrari is planning a revival in the last 10 races of the season, to provide Hamilton with a taste of what is to come, as he is just four months away from joining them.
The Maranello-based team has already completed extensive work on its 2025 car – codenamed project 677. In an attempt to salvage their 2024 season, they are now looking to fast-track development concepts planned for next year and integrate them into the SF-24.
A milestone moment…
Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari Formula 1 car has a name.https://t.co/d3oa4kWegV #F1 #LewisHamilton #Ferrari #Mercedes pic.twitter.com/BXcGqMGSto
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) August 20, 2024
The bulk of the changes proposed are aerodynamic. But the suspension of the car will also undergo considerable revision. The report hints towards non-invasive tweaks to the inner kinematics of the suspension system of the SF-24.
These changes were part of a switch in 2025 to a pull-rod front suspension brought in specifically for Hamilton.
Hamilton will get a glimpse of his 2025 Ferrari
Ferrari’s plans to bring forward its 2025 concepts—especially the suspension mechanics—will give Hamilton a close-up view of how his future car might perform in advance. The Italian stable has decided to revamp its suspension mechanisms to suit the Briton’s driving style for next year.
Ferrari and Haas are the only two teams on the current grid to employ a rear pull-rod suspension system; all the other teams use a rear push-rod suspension. In 2025, the team will integrate a completely pull-rod-based suspension mechanism at both ends of the car.
“Ferrari are to switch to a pull-rod front suspension with their F1 2025 car as the team prepare to welcome Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes, it has been claimed.”
“The move has been inspired by Hamilton’s driving style being closer to that of Charles Leclerc than… pic.twitter.com/2cnwvlBjQi
— sim (@sim3744) August 14, 2024
The all-pull-rod system is favored by both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. On the other hand, Leclerc’s current teammate, Carlos Sainz, prefers a different driving style. Therefore, from 2025 onwards, the team will be able to focus car development in a single direction, as both drivers will share a similar driving preference.
