Antonio Giovinazzi has a key role: putting Ferrari’s latest SF-25 upgrades to the test. Here’s the latest from Maranello.
During the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, all eyes were on the third round of the F1 season—but Antonio Giovinazzi wasn’t just a spectator. The Italian, now Ferrari’s third driver, closely followed the team’s work in Suzuka. But his real contribution begins now: after spending Easter weekend racing in the WEC at Imola, Giovinazzi faces a crucial assignment this week.
According to Funoanalisitecnica, the former Alfa Romeo Sauber driver flew straight to Bologna after the GP and headed directly to Maranello. His mission? Push the virtual SF-25 to its limits in the simulator—with one key difference: this version includes the new upgrade package set to debut in Bahrain.
Ferrari has already loaded the simulator with real-world data collected in Japan, aiming to understand how the car will behave with the upcoming technical updates.
It’s a vital step in fixing the weaknesses exposed in the opening rounds of the season. Ironically, the fourth and seventh places at Suzuka stand as the SF-25’s best results so far—hardly the performance the team had hoped for.
The Maranello engineers are fine-tuning the final details and analyzing the data. The big question: will these updates be enough to transform the car and close the gap to a McLaren MCL39 that seems to have very few flaws? Giovinazzi will be the first to “drive” the new package—albeit in the simulator.
Just a few days to go before we see the real answers on track. Hamilton and Leclerc have made no secret of their dissatisfaction with the current car, and now it’s up to the engineers to deliver. It’s time for a true response—from Ferrari.
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari HP
