Ferrari F2012

[Chuckjr]

EDIT: And for what it's worth, I still think this car is screeewwwed.

Really? After two races and 17-18 to go? Wasn't Alonso down in the dumps later in the season not so long ago and ended up entering the last race with a 5 pt. lead in the WDC? I think it's far far to early to write them off. They are leading the WDC (which is remarkable any way you cut it) and are bringing a major update within 3 races. If they can get within a half second of the front runners, I don't think anyone can say Alonso is hosed. Quite the contrary, of all the drivers in the entire grid, who is better capable to carry a team to a championship in 2012 than him with a questionable car? Just my 2 cents.

On another note, is the reason it's taking so long to get the updated side pods / exhaust because they simply needed more data, simulation time and concept rather than actual construction time? I believe I read on here they can make side pods in a few days.

[Jersey Tom]

Alonso was never highly critical about the car, or its balance.

Because he's smart enough not to lambaste his teammates, organization, or sponsors.

[ing]

haha. Wouldn't this be something. The McLaren solution seems to work well.

I like the McLaren solution and obviously it seems to work well. It's a good mix of coke-bottle effect and EBD and which, I think, combines the Coanada effect with a vortex created by the local airflow - moving inboard around the tires and therefore obliquely to the troughs - tumbling into the exhaust troughs.

For this to be adapted to the F2012, with the same proportions as McLaren, the exhaust tips need to be moved forward almost one tire diameter, about 20". This would most likely entail the "bundle-of-snakes" part of the exhaust to be moved forward and radiators tilted forward like on the other guys' cars.

The volume of air normally exiting the Acer ducts can be routed along the gearbox and out the back, similar to what McLaren and Sauber are doing.

Note: the fact that my sketch for the "McLaren hump" completely avoids the Acer logo is pure coincidence.

[bhall]

EDIT: And for what it's worth, I still think this car is screeewwwed.

Really? After two races and 17-18 to go?
[...]

Actually, I started digging this car's grave at right around the beginning of the 3rd test. Look back through the thread; I went all-out and did my best xpensive impression and everything.

I'm hoping Ferrari serves me a big ol' plate of crow at the end of year, and with this very odd start to the season, that may well be in the cards. I'm not holding my breath, though.

[Lycoming]

eh, teams have bounced back from far worse. I think that their issues can be addressed through updates, ie. their issue isn't some huge fundamental thing that is impossible to change or fix in season like the front exit exhaust.

Whether or not they can/will do so is too early to tell.

[Hail22]

Ferrari are attempting to play the underdog card.

This was evident in the mid to late 90's, now if I'm correct and they're telling taddle tales and working near close to 24 hours a day on rotation.

They are doing one of three things (After Mugello):

1. Evolution of the current Tub with new sidepods, exhaust housing, front nose?

2. Playing computer games and not caring as they are being paid a truck load just for showing up to a Grand Prix weekend.

3. New Aero package (Exhaust, Wing, Sidepods).

Take your pick ladies and gents one of them will be true (Crucial will most likely know which one it is)

[bhall]

eh, teams have bounced back from far worse. I think that their issues can be addressed through updates, ie. their issue isn't some huge fundamental thing that is impossible to change or fix in season like the front exit exhaust.

I humbly disagree. I think their exhaust issue is exactly that sort of issue. It was obvious during testing that the problem completely caught them off-guard, and the design of their car is obviously based on that exhaust philosophy.

I don't know that ing's beautifully-suggested integration of a McLaren-type exhaust (above) is even possible, despite its inherent similarity to the Acer ducts. That would require a substantial repackaging of the car's cooling, which would then substantially alter the car's aerodynamic characteristics.

It's a miracle that Alonso is leading the Drivers' standings at this point. Were it not for retirements in Australia and his immense abilities combined with Ferrari's completely unexpected strategic trouncing of McLaren in Malaysia (thanks Pat Fry!), I think the standings would reflect that the the F2012 is no better than 5th or 6th in the pecking order.

EDIT: Geography: never my best subject.

[Jersey Tom]

It's a miracle that Alonso is leading the Drivers' standings at this point. Were it not for retirements in Australia and his immense abilities combined with Ferrari's completely unexpected strategic trouncing of McLaren in China (thanks Pat Fry!), I think the standings would reflect that the the F2012 is no better than 5th or 6th in the pecking order.

China?

In any event, I don't like playing the "Well if this, then this.." game when it comes to anything motorsport related. Come to think of it, I don't like it at all!

FSAE teams like to consider such scenarios. "Well, if our car hadn't broken XYZ, we would have finished 5th!" Yeah, and if 10 of your competitors hadn't screwed up A, B, or C they would have done better and kicked you right back down. Not fair to just consider what-if's in one direction, if that makes sense. Can be misleading.

Hell, we could come up with what-if scenarios of incidental contact or whatever that would put Alonso even further ahead in the points than he is now! Could go back in time and say, "If Senna and Prost hadn't collided" and blah blah blah.

Maybe the F2012 is a "5th place car" if they were driving around in a parade or just racing based on qualifying times. Maybe it's 10th. Maybe it's 3rd. To a degree it doesn't matter. If you can luck your way into some points and then do a good enough job the rest of the season to scratch and claw and hold onto it... then so be it!

As for what would make the F2012 more competitive to put it in that position.. who knows. Speaking of miracles, it's a miracle for an outsider to eyeball a car and know how to make it go faster. I think of myself as a pretty sharp engineer - in motorsport - and I can't casually come up with some definitive answer.

Maybe I'd have to sit down and study it more, but really I think we're just clawing at crude speculation. No better than Autosprint.

[bhall]

I'm only capable of crude speculation. (That should be obvious by now.) Yet, I think there's a place for deductive reasoning, especially about a subject as narrow as one car's performance relative to others. As far as I know, there's still no scientific metric by which to make such measurements.

And I do agree that a car's potential isn't necessarily the best predictor for where it will end up. As the saying goes, "That's why they run the race."

[donskar]

Excellent posts by jerseytom and myurr. You "eyeball engineers" ought to take a breath and read them.

[bhall]

Indeed. Let's restrict our discussion of the cars to verifiable empirical data.

*crickets*

(This is supposed to be fun.)

[Richard]

Now you come to mention it, yes this thread is meant to have objective posts about features on the car.

[banibhusan]

Well, it can not be deemed as a verifiable empirical data from the car, but worth mentioning because of the credibility of the source:

via @joseluis1 on twitter and the source is Autosport
http://i40.tinypic.com/2ik63w7.jpg

[bhall]

Now you come to mention it, yes this thread is meant to have objective posts about features on the car.

From where I sit, it looks like that's exactly what happens here.

[kebab]

The car should be on its way to Shanghai by now, what change(s) can we expect?

Could be a revised front wing, no?