D'Ambrosio confirms Ferrari's risky plan for the coming months

By climbing to third and fourth place at the finish of the Austrian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc et Lewis Hamilton allowed the Team to consolidate its place as the second force on the grid as the halfway point of the season approaches. Despite Leclerc's 20-second deficit to Piastres, second in the Grand Prix, the main players in Ferrari's development were delighted with the effects of the introduction of the new floor of the SF-25, a week before embarking for Silverstone.

"The new floor has delivered what we expected, it is a step forward, the Belgian rejoiced. This is an evolution of the current philosophy. There has been no radical change in the philosophy of the car. We have simply added aerodynamic load.

Although this addition was beneficial, allowing it to get ahead of other competitors including Mercedes is notably part of it, the objective does not yet seem to have been achieved. Logically, making efforts to finish another season in second place seems unproductive, unless the work for the 2026 season has been fully started. Here, Ferrari does not seem to have opted for this option, although it is often put forward by other teams.

"As for the next developments, I will obviously not reveal our plans for the next six months. We are at a stage where we have to think about the compromise between 2025 and 2026, recalled Jérôme D'Ambrosio, quick to suggest a confidence still present at this stage of the seasonWe've been thinking about it since the beginning of the year. 2026 will be a major change, but there's also 2025 and we want to improve even more. We have to find a balance between the two."

Ferrari remains greedy

Refusing to answer questions about the new rear suspension developed by Loïc Serra from Maranello, Frédéric Vasseur's right-hand man left doubts about this development announced as being major in the coming weeks. Indeed, this would be a major structural update concerning an element of the car identified as the current weak point. With Lewis Hamilton having suggested that he knew nothing about this new rear axle project, the question arises as to the real level of confidence of the Scuderia regarding the current season.

Inevitably, if the project linked to this new suspension were to be confirmed – echoes predicted an arrival of this package as early as the British Grand Prix – it would mean that the Scuderia's investments would still be significant with regard to the current season. However, according to Charles Leclerc, focusing on one of the two years does not seem to be totally incompatible with working on the other in parallel.

"It's obvious that next year will be very important. This year, we have things coming up between now and the end of the season that are already for next year, declared the Monegasque before the start of hostilities in Austria. Everything is new, so you have to think about it. And that's what we're doing. It will be crucial to get off on the right foot, so we're working on it, but I'd say 50/50 for now."

By taking the risk of missing the 2026 mark without ensuring immediate success in 2025, Ferrari is fueled by ambition and hopes to be able to congratulate itself for not having been too timid.

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