F1 | Ferrari responds to the heat: first updates spotted in Bahrain

Five new cooling louvres appear on the Ferrari SF-25 ahead of the Bahrain GP: is this a way to tackle the heat? Ferrari appears to be taking measures to handle the heat in Bahrain—or at least that’s what the new engine cover on the SF-25 ... Leggi tutto L'articolo F1 | Ferrari responds to the heat: first updates spotted in Bahrain proviene da F1ingenerale.

Apr 11, 2025 - 01:19

F1 | Ferrari responds to the heat: first updates spotted in Bahrain

Five new cooling louvres appear on the Ferrari SF-25 ahead of the Bahrain GP: is this a way to tackle the heat?

Ferrari appears to be taking measures to handle the heat in Bahrain—or at least that’s what the new engine cover on the SF-25 suggests, as it prepares to race under the scorching desert sun in Sakhir. From the first images emerging from Bahrain, it’s clear that there are now five cooling louvres on the engine cover, which immediately sparked debate.

Louvres had already made an appearance in the early rounds of the season, but the extreme heat of the desert seems to have prompted Ferrari to act in advance to protect the power unit. This is therefore the main change spotted on the SF-25, along with a new floor—Ferrari’s first real upgrade of the season. The geometry of the louvres has also changed, now appearing wider than before.

F1 | Ferrari responds to Bahrain heat: first updates spotted — The SF-25 on Bahrain GP Thursday @SaraRazvann

Will the SF-25 struggle with the Bahrain heat?

That’s not all: Ferrari had already opened four louvres during pre-season testing when daytime temperatures hovered around 20°C. During those sessions, the SF-25 ran with both one and four louvres. Currently, temperatures in Sakhir have soared to around 40°C during the day.

We’ll find out how the car adapts to the desert heat as early as FP1, where the new floor will also be tested. Just hours before the start of the fourth race weekend of 2025, Ferrari made their decision: the SF-25 will hit the track in Sakhir with the upgraded floor, in hopes of gaining a tangible performance boost.

Confirmation came from Charles Leclerc during the press conferences that kicked off the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. “This weekend, we also benefit from the data collected here during testing at the end of February.”

“In my view, the last Grand Prix clearly showed our current level of competitiveness: we’re a few tenths off in qualifying, and it’s always very hard to recover during the race. Tomorrow we’ll try the new floor,” added the Monegasque driver. “We hope it will help improve our performance.”