Car
Formula 1 2025: The biggest changes from McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes
by Rosario Giuliana and Samarth Kanal
6min read
Formula 1 pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit offered the first proper look at the 2025 F1 cars and the aerodynamic changes that each team has made for the upcoming season.
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Here are the major changes that we spotted from McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari, ahead of the first race of the 2025 F1 season.
McLaren
Reigning constructors’ champion McLaren made impressive strides and enjoyed a solid pre-season testing run in Bahrain - although Lando Norris did say the rear end tended to be a bit unstable, with team boss Andrea Stella saying the issue would have to be controlled rather than completely fixed.
An illustration showing the redesigned McLaren MCL39 front suspension (blue) that enhances its anti-dive characteristics, with reshaped sidepod inlets, brake ducts, and a reshaped airbox (yellow). Furthermore, the team has added a new vane on the side of the cockpit (purple).
Comparison showing the tapered rear of the McLaren along with subtly reshaped rear wing supports (below) compared to the car’s predecessor (above)
Purple areas showing the changes McLaren brought to its rear wing over the afternoon of day one of pre-season testing in Bahrain. The team applied green flow-vis paint to its car in the afternoon of day one.
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White the differences between the MCL39 and its predecessor aren’t clear at first glance, McLaren has made strides in packaging and seemingly enhanced the car it won last year’s constructors’ title with.
Ferrari
Ferrari launched what it called a “completely new” car before pre-season testing. This statement was later confirmed in a pre-testing shakedown at Fiorano, Italy, and then again during the three days in Bahrain.One of the biggest changes to the 2025 Ferrari SF-25 is the switch from pushrod to pullrod suspension, believed to be for aerodynamic optimisation and a more stable platform.
Pullrod front suspension allows the team to better account for dive under braking (which disrupts car balance) and allow the car to be run at a lower ride height - something every team is looking to do in this era given it enhances the amount of downforce generated by the Venturi tunnel-bearing floor.
Ferrari switched from pushrod suspension (above) to pullrod suspension (below)
A comparison between the 2024 Ferrari SF-24 (above) and the 2025 SF-25 (below). The new car has a more tapered rear end thanks to better gearbox packaging and a different floor, as well as sidepods situated more rearwards and a host of other changes.
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Red Bull
This new front wing has a shorter nose and some changes to the flap. Most notable is the gap between the nose and the mainplane, whereas the first specification of the front wing has the nose attached to the mainplane of the wing.
An illustration showing the second spec of front wing (below) that Red Bull brought to the third and final day of testing in Bahrain. It has a noticeable slot gap under the nose compared to the first spec (above)
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This implies that Red Bull has tried to evolve the RB20 to ensure the car has a wider operating window in an attempt to dissolve, or at least control, the car behaviour issues that hampered Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in 2024.
Mercedes
Mercedes seems to have mirrored Red Bull’s philosophy in attempting to develop its late-2024 W15 car into a more compliant machine.
The sidepods are the biggest point of differentiation, with vertical intakes and a ‘shark-mouth’ shape to channel air into them. The sides of the body have also changed with more space for airflow under the sidepods.
Suspension has also been revamped on the W16. The front suspension is still in a pushrod configuration but its internal mechanics have been updated to enhance weight distribution and anti-dive characteristics.
On Tuesday, Mercedes brought out a second specification of front wing that had a noticeable gap between the nose and the mainplane.
Comparison showing the slot gap at the very bottom of the Mercedes W16 as it debuted its second specification of front wing on day two of Bahrain pre-season F1 testing
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