gilgen wrote:My goodness, the fuss about the length of the car! Yes, all cars are longer this year, to accommodate larger fuel tanks, but this in no way "proves" that one car is thirstier than another! The cars are packaged differently, and even then, they do not have to run with full tanks, just enough to do the race. Mclaren ran without full tanks to try and gain a weight advantage, and it nearly backfired! Who knows the exact capacity of each cars tank, and who knows exactly how much fuel is in each, for a race? And then again, what is the criteria for a cars length? Has a car a shorter nose got a larger fueltank, but is still shorter than another car?
If Ferrari had to build a larger car to accommodate a larger tank, they could shorten the wheelbase quite easily, so as to make no difference. The simple fact is that with the new formulation of fuel, and other improvements, the Ferrari engine is no hirstier than any other engine. But who cares. As long as the Ferrari can be competitive, it doesn't matter a jot, about the fuel tank or consumption!
Well actually it is, cars have to run the whole race without a fuel stop, thus they need a tank that can handle the needed amount of fuel, so it is most likely to be that the longest cars(lets state that the center of the suspension that is connected to the car are the wheelbaese) are the ones with the biggest tank thus the hihgest consumption.
The Ferrari cant offer it like Renault to go wider, as it will comprimise cooling, wich the ferrari cant as it is already way troo mcuh on the limit, so it would not be an option to do so. Great example is the virgin, wich only went in length, so they could built smaller radiator intakes