Scuderia Ferrari 2012

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Ferrari had a Q&A session today on Twitter for fans. It was very entertaining & informative. Great idea that's new for Ferrari fans. A txt doc can be found HERE if you want. Otherwise the questions and answers are as follows.



wind tunnel, CFD simulation & track data
- It is fine, this is not the main problem we have

si mormora che il problema della F2012 sia nella sospensione pull-rod anteriore... Quanto c'è di vero?
- Nulla.. (The rumor is that the problem is the pull-rod suspension - Not true.)

How many non-Italians work at Ferrari?
- around 20%

what is laking in the 2012 ? speed or constant race trim ?
- Mainly top speed and traction out of the slow corners, generally some downforce

what should we expect in the improvements in the car? Are u going to build a completely new one (some press writes that)?
- No new car in the pipleline but we will work on improvements, starting from China and more to come in Spain

Q: Is it true we let Felipe do some testing during race?
- It is not true at all... Both drivers, Fernando even more, worked on different aero configurations on Fridays, as usual.

what are you working on for improving the car towards next race?
- mainly on the aero side

a spanish journalist says that you are developing a new chassis for Barcelona. Is that true or just upgrades?
- It is not true, as we told to that Spanish journalist in Sepan

who in your opinion is the best driver that ever raced for ferrari?
- difficult question... In the modern age, Michael and Fernando, but Kimi very very close to them as pure talent

Fernando spends a lot of time with team, doesn't he?
- Yes, true!! THis is very positive

Is Fernando a classical music lover?
- Yes he is

How's Massa?
- Felipe is obviously disappointed but he knows we have faith in his talent

Are you guys planning on hiring someone new since Felipe is not really making a huge imapct in the 2012 season?
- No, no plans

Will you be able to give Alonso a car to fight with the best this year?
- Our target is to provide a competitive cars to both drivers

In Malaysia Ferrari's engines across the line of 70 000 km of leading during the race. Have you celebrated it?
- Honestly, we did not know at all!!

Quante ore trascorre un pilota al simulatore per preparasi ad una gara? Grazie.
- Non c'è un limite, di solito quando un pilota trascorre un giorno al simulatore lavora 6/8 ore (How many hours a driver spends on the simulator to prepare for a race? Thank you. - There is a limit, usually when a driver spends a day in the simulator works 6/8 hours)

Se trabajara en alguna mejora del coche para llevarlas a China? Que podeis decir de la increible carrera de @alo_oficial ?
- Yes, there will be some improvement. Fernando did an incredible race, as in Melbourne and many times last year as well

How many hours does an engineer work back in the factory a day?
- It depends, 8/10?

any two drivers past or present, who would the Scuderia choose for their ideal team
- Michael, Kimi, Fernando, Niki: this is our personal choice

Avete sufficienti dati per le prossime linee di sviluppo o ci sono ancora zone buie?
- Onestamente c'è sempre da scoprire qualcosa, soprattutto in una fase iniziale della stagione come questa (Do you have sufficient data for future lines of development or are there still dark areas? - Honestly there is always something to discover, especially at an early stage of the season like this)

how long does it take to develop a F1 chassis?
- from scratch? Usually, you start working on the new car around April...

If you could bring back one track from the past, which one would it be and why?
- Imola, because is the closest!

Will Ferrari be at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year & is there a chance Felipe & Fernando will attend?
- Yes, but we're afraid Felipe and Fernando will be unable to go

How soon do you think you'll be 100% happy with your car?
- we hope very soon!

what about Sunday? We are wondering whether FIA will double our points for one car racing while one car is testing...ah sorry
- Very funny....

are you guys going to make a creative front wing just like Mercedes to match them?
- It depends if it is really legal...

Are we going to see a better car in China?
- Hopefully yes!

is Ferrari set to sign the new Concorde Agreement?
- We've reached an agreement, this is the only thing we can say

what goals have the team set for this years championship taking into account testing and the 1st two races?
- The goal @insideferrari can have is only one: winning...

will the updates for china and Bahrein be significant or rather minor. When do you expect to have closed the gap
- Nothing major in the next two races

Will we see a new or different exhaust solution on the car before Mugello & Spain?
- Time will tell

Did you arrange a small party after the race at Malaysia to celebrate this emotional victory?
- No, unfortunately not... We did something here in Maranello with all the people of Gestione Sportiva

is it true that you guys want to return to the pullrod suspension instead of a pushrod?
- no

better to tell Stefano (i still support him) to protect Felipe well and do not let us disappointed again...
- This is what we're doing

Why doesn't a rich brand like Ferrari do charity?
- We do it but we don't say it...

Yo pienso que @alo_oficial es uno de los 10 mejores de la historia. En que puesto estaria para vosotros? Seguro en los top 10.. (Alonso is a top 10 driver in the history of F1)

what is the biggest car related problem you guys are facing at the moment?
- lack of traction and top speed

Any plans to introduce a DRS F-Duct like the Mercedes system? If yes, when will it debut?
- At the moment we've other priorities

what is the difference in Massa's car and Alonso's car?Y is massa lagging so much as both are equally talented
- The cars are the same...

I've heard that Kimi didn't know how to get to Maranello. ¿Is it true?
- NO...

can we expect to see any improvements to the car in China?
- we will have some update

Hello, we hear lot of rumors about Kubica in Ferrari, can you tell us something more about it
- only rumours...

How many people work on the car including the ones back in the factory?
- around 600

Where could we expect a reasonably winner car? Spain? Is there a scheduled program of improvements?Forza Ferrari! Avanti Fer!
- In Spain we will have a bigger update but time will tell if it will be enough

how does Alonso feel after winning the Malaysian GP?
- Ah, he was over the moon!

Was there no alternative of nose shape?
- not as efficient as we've chosen

why is Massa's car is slower by almost 10Kph on straight with DRS than Alonso's???
- This is not true

how come fernados car is faster than felipes i thought the cars were s'pose to be equal
- they are exaclty the same

Why does everyone call the F2012 ugly? I think it's absolutely gorgeous!
- Everyone has his own taste.. A nice car is a winning car in our view...

other than the new gearbox, what new parts/modifications will be fitted for the Chinese GP?
- New gearbox?? Not true

when is the next round of significant upgrades due?
- we will try to introduce updates at every race

Do you think Bahrain will go ahead?
- At the moment there is nothing which says the contrary

Are the team at all interesting in replacing felipe massa with Sergio Perez? or is that classified?

- No, not interested

Why Ferrari decided to go social this year (fernando on twitter&fb etc). will there be any new updates in China?
- Because we felt it was better to have a direct contact with the fans

are u expecting to win more races this season?
- Hopefully yes!

how you feel at last laps in Malaysia?
- Very tense....

Do you miss re-fuelling in races, or do you prefer the cars being full on fuel for races?
- Not particularly

Are u still confident in the decision 2 go with the step-nose design given McLaren's clear dominance without it?
- We don't think the difference is in the nose....

Does the anterior pull road suspension work well or it create trouble with the set up?
- It works
well

Will big changes to the car include new crash test,modified rear suspension geometry?
- NO, nothing of these things

any plans to replicate the Mercedes F-duct?
- This is not a priority at all

Am I right in thinking there will be big updates at Velencia?
- Hopefully earlier

any hint as to what upgrades will u be bringing to China
- Sorry, let's keep it confidential...

do you wish Senna had ever raced for Ferrari?
- Yes, we really wanted him and we've been very close. He was in Maranello few days before the accident in Imola...

Where is Alonso based now?
- In Spain

why other low teams have gone better from last year specially we hope ferrari could be on the front ?
- Ah, it is true they've done a better job so far but the season is very long

With a degree in English and German do I have any chance to work for Ferrari in the press department?That has been my dream.
- Sorry but this is not the only condition.... Italian is required!

una domanda ma durante il gp della malesia funzionava il kers di Alonso xke mi sembrava dalla grafica di no!!!
- Il KERS sì la telemetria no..

What do you think is more important to F1 - expansion into new countries, or classic tracks like Spa, Monza etc?
- Both things!

About the situation in Bahrein... What is Ferrari's point of view?
- we trust FIA and FOM on this subject...

Fernando has told you something about his tatto??
- He does not need to ask for permission....

perchè questo diverso consumo tra le due macchine?
-Consumo di gomme? E' una delle aree su cui stiamo lavorando per capire quali siano le differenze

Do you think fernando win any title in Ferrari?
- 100% sure!!!

Will you change the nose design to match that of McLaren's
- No, it is not a matter of noses

be honest now ... What's up with the Perez team orders at Malaysia?
- This is one of the biggest bullshit of the last few years....

Are we going to see a faster car in the next race ?
- We do hope so

Como se llama la persona que escribe tweets durante el Gran Premio?
It is Ferrari, no need for a name (name of the person who write the tweets during races.)via Kosmos

any plans to replicate the Mercedes F-duct?
This is not a priority at all. At the moment we've other priorities

Inside Ferrari Twitter Account--> https://twitter.com/#!/insideferrari

[bigpat]

In the last 3 years Ferrari have brought a different concept into the new year. If you look at the fastest cars over the past 2 years, the Red Bulls and McLarens ( and going further back into history), they have all been evolutions, where the strengths and weaknesses are known, and refined. look at golden Schumacher years. All those cars were a refinement of a base concept. The F1-2000 bore its lineage the F-399.

The 2009 Ferrari wasn't a bad car, but Ferrari went a bit far in optimising F10 for the double diffuser. the last 2 cars are poles apart, with no real continuity. Now, with no data that you can correlate from year to year ( and with new technical staff) you can't really see where you went wrong.....

As usual, in the second half of the season, the red cars will be back at the front, but the titles will be long lost by then...

[banibhusan]

You can't deem it as a lost cause until we finally have an answer to where they are heading. Ferrari still has a good enough chance to fight for the WDC, if their Mugello upgrades work properly, which is merely a month away from now.

After two races, Ferrari is still in a much better position in the championship table compared to what we all expected. They were in damage limitation mode and so far they have done the maximum. If by the Spanish GP, they manage to gain another 5 tenths or so (a bit optimistic but may be possible if their upgrades for the next 3 races work as expected), then they can well be back in the top league. If not, then you can probably come back and say, "I told you so".

[Nflux]

Karthikeyan replaces Massa at Ferrari with immediate effect...wow! Really?

[raymondu999]

Meh. Not convincing enough

[Nflux]

Best April fools joke...

[raymondu999]

Nah. It has to be believeable first. Then you can call it a good prank.

[munudeges]

That's a lot of Q and A...........

[Crucial_Xtreme]

That's a lot of Q and A...........

Yes there was a lot. It was great. Of course many different people asked the same questions over & over, but it was a good session. I hope they do more of throughout the season.

There was one other question missed, and it's below:

any plans to replicate the Mercedes F-duct?
This is not a priority at all. At the moment we've other priorities

editing original post

[Maelstrom]

You can't deem it as a lost cause until we finally have an answer to where they are heading. Ferrari still has a good enough chance to fight for the WDC, if their Mugello upgrades work properly, which is merely a month away from now.

After two races, Ferrari is still in a much better position in the championship table compared to what we all expected. They were in damage limitation mode and so far they have done the maximum. If by the Spanish GP, they manage to gain another 5 tenths or so (a bit optimistic but may be possible if their upgrades for the next 3 races work as expected), then they can well be back in the top league. If not, then you can probably come back and say, "I told you so".

+1

I think the biggest asset to Ferrari at the moment is a man called Alonso. You give him improvements to the car and he'll try and drag it into sixth place if not the top five. If he manages to keep the leaders in sight and Ferrari manage to give him a competetive car soon Ferrari might still have a good chance.

Also it helps that Red Bull is not dominating this year. With the race winners being different people so far the points are distributed more evenly. No 1-2's so far.

[raymondu999]

To be fair 1-2's have been rare last year too. I think we had more in 2009 and 2010. 2009 there were quite a few Brawn 1-2 results and quite a few Red Bull ones. I think they had 4 1-2's each. Then in 2010 we had 2 Ferrari 1-2's, 3 McLaren 1-2's, and 4 Red Bull 1-2s. THere were 4 McLaren and 4 Ferrari 1-2's in 2007 too.

[Maelstrom]

To be fair 1-2's have been rare last year too. I think we had more in 2009 and 2010. 2009 there were quite a few Brawn 1-2 results and quite a few Red Bull ones. I think they had 4 1-2's each. Then in 2010 we had 2 Ferrari 1-2's, 3 McLaren 1-2's, and 4 Red Bull 1-2s. THere were 4 McLaren and 4 Ferrari 1-2's in 2007 too.

You are right. But to be fair if things had gone to plan the McLarens could easily have had 1-2 in the first two races. They certainly had the better cars. But they have been a tad unlucky.

[raymondu999]

I don't think a 1-2 was very guaranteed in Malaysia - but Australia, most certainly.

[Maelstrom]

I don't think a 1-2 was very guaranteed in Malaysia - but Australia, most certainly.

Well I suppose. Malaysia was a lottery. It could have been anybody's race.

[Ferraripilot]

I expect maybe 0.2s possibly 0.3s from the updates maybe? I don't think 0.2s is too much to expect, but with other teams bringing updates they expect to give them 0.2s, we need ours to be 3 tenths or more.

Asking for .200 from updates is really asking a lot. I suspect Ferrari still haven't got a firm grasp on what their car is doing and what affects it thus making any updates a shot in the dark. They need a few more dry races to understand their car better, and then they can impliment updates which might bear fruit.