Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari F1 car named “the standout” by rival team boss

Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari F1 challenger - the SF-25 - is the “standout” car on the grid for its unique design philosophy. 

Ferrari officially unveiled their new car last week ahead of a shakedown at Fiorano.

Chassis technical director Loic Serra has said that Ferrari have changed “99% of the car” for 2025 as they look to secure the first F1 world title in nearly 20 years.

One major change has been a switch to a pull-rod front suspension, which has been done to give them “greater scope for aero development”.

While the general concept is a continuation of last year’s car, Horner feels that Ferrari’s challenger is completely different to the rest of the grid, making it the “differentiator”.

Speaking in the team principal’s press conference on day one of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, Horner said: “I think into this cycle of regulations it’s clear that the cars have converged and they look very, very similar.

“I think probably the Ferrari is the standout as the probably being the differentiator. That’s inevitable that marginal gains are going to be there.

“Every surface on our car is different to last year but it looks similar as it’s a similar philosophy. You can see that other cars have converged with that. That’s what’s going to make the racing so tight this year.”

Horner predicts “eight winners” in F1 2025

With F1’s technical regulations remaining stable over the winter, the battle at the front is expected to be closer than ever.

The top four teams - McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes - are all expected to be in race-winning contention, as was the case at times last season.

As a result, Horner reckons there could be eight different winners in 2025.

Last year, seven of the eight drivers driving for the top four teams won races.

Only Sergio Perez failed to do so at Red Bull.

“That some cars might suit some circuits better than others and it’s all going to be about extracting the maximum from your platform, from your package and getting it right on the day,” Horner added.

“The biggest winner out of that will be the fans and the followers of the sport because there could easily be eight winners this year and some curveballs in there as well. It really could be pretty open.”