The ambiance was charged with emotion when the chequered flag fell on the season finale in Abu Dhabi on the Yas Marina circuit, with each Ferrari and Mercedes groups experiencing a spread of emotions because the 2024 marketing campaign drew to a detailed.
Lewis Hamilton had simply secured a formidable fourth-place end in what can be his remaining race in a Mercedes Formulation 1 automotive. As he crossed the road, Martin Brundle famous Lewis Hamilton’s memorable final-lap overtake on George Russell, a becoming conclusion to their three-year partnership, with Hamilton leaving because the staff’s highest factors scorer. In the meantime, Ferrari had a triumphant remaining outing of the season, with each Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz securing podium finishes.
Regardless of Oscar Piastri’s early spin, McLaren clinched the Constructors’ Championship with Lando Norris’ well-deserved victory, which denied Ferrari their long-awaited first title in 16 years.
Nonetheless, Lewis Hamilton would have been buoyed by the spectacular efficiency of his future staff, Ferrari, over the ultimate months of the season.
Charles Leclerc triumphed within the Italian Grand Prix, holding off McLaren’s tempo benefit, whereas Carlos Sainz’s victory in Mexico Metropolis was arguably essentially the most dominant show of his Formulation 1 profession. In line with a report from Italian day by day newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, preparations for the 2025 season are already underway at Maranello, and Ferrari might have already perfected one essential side of subsequent yr’s automotive that Hamilton will significantly admire.
Forward of the 2025 season, Ferrari has reportedly perfected the ground of the automotive, a function that will probably be essential to Hamilton’s success.
With solely minimal adjustments to the laws governing the automotive designs from 2024 to 2025, Ferrari’s focus for subsequent yr is extra on evolution than revolution. Workforce principal Frederic Vasseur has confirmed that fewer than one p.c of the 2025 automotive’s elements will probably be carried over from their 2024 challenger, signaling a refined strategy to growing the brand new automotive.
Fred Vasseur talked about in a latest interview that the true competitiveness of the automotive would solely be revealed in Bahrain. The French supervisor acknowledged that typically the dangers taken are solely obvious after the actual fact. He additional defined that the automotive can be fully new, with lower than 1 p.c of its elements shared with the 2024 mannequin. He emphasised that whereas it was a special undertaking, this strategy utilized to all groups.
In line with the report from Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari’s 2025 single-seater is anticipated to function an advanced model of the experimental ground utilized by Charles Leclerc in Qatar. The outlet means that Ferrari’s engineers have efficiently refined this part, anticipating its integration right into a extra dynamic platform that will probably be much more seamlessly integrated into the staff’s newest aerodynamic idea.
Over the previous yr, it has grow to be more and more clear that reaching the suitable stability within the automotive is essential, versus merely maximizing downforce. This understanding is significant for Ferrari as they goal to enhance upon their present design.
If the staff can keep the robust efficiency momentum they demonstrated on the finish of the 2024 season, there’s each purpose to imagine that each Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will probably be among the many prime contenders for the championship in 2025.
The significance of studying from previous errors, notably with regard to mid-season updates, was clearly evident all through the 2024 season. The prolonged size of the Formulation 1 calendar gives groups with ample time and, crucially, a wealth of knowledge to tell their choices concerning automotive growth.
Whereas groups like Aston Martin and Crimson Bull launched updates that finally hindered their progress, McLaren stands out as a major instance of a staff that bought it proper. Workforce principal Andrea Stella made the smart determination to delay the set up of McLaren’s new ground, cautious of its potential influence on the efficiency of different groups.
Ferrari, however, launched a major replace in Spain that set them again for a number of races, with many arguing that this explicit package deal value them the title. To keep away from repeating such errors in 2025, Ferrari might want to guarantee they make the suitable calls, which might give Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc a real alternative to problem McLaren and Max Verstappen’s dominance.