Ferrari F2013 (pre-launch speculation)

[Sombrero]

Affer the F2012, the new 2013 car looks more F150ish... Note that after the yellow flag gate, the new F-1 Ferrari will be... yellow ! Here the first rendering...

http://www.leblogauto.com/wp-content/up ... dead-3.jpg

Take it easy !

[turbof1]

I think the car will really be conservative. Probably the biggest thing they will change are the radiators and the exhausts (either a red bull ramp or a complete transformation to the McLaren one). Anything else will most likely be aero refinements. They never tested out passive devices; I don't see them using that either.

Perhaps the only other thing I see them doing is introducing a Williams-like gearbox that shrinks the complete backside.

I will disagree with you.. I think passive stalling devices will play a big role in the 2013 season... a lot of teams have tested them and it will be interesting to see which teams will integrate it on their cars from the beginning of the season.

Edit: If other teams use it from the beginning of the season I think ferrari will need to have it as well if the want to be competitive out of the ebox

The problem is that effectively nobody made it work succesfully yet. Ferrari never tested it on track, so they are at the backfoot on that front anyhow. The question remains then if you as a team want to invest time and resources into something you have little experience or data about, and that it is proven by others that is very hard to make it work properly, if not impossible.
We might see it tested, but if I believe that when it doesn't give results inmediately, they will drop it. Remember, they have one week less testing.

[f@natic]

I think the car will really be conservative. Probably the biggest thing they will change are the radiators and the exhausts (either a red bull ramp or a complete transformation to the McLaren one). Anything else will most likely be aero refinements. They never tested out passive devices; I don't see them using that either.

Perhaps the only other thing I see them doing is introducing a Williams-like gearbox that shrinks the complete backside.

I will disagree with you.. I think passive stalling devices will play a big role in the 2013 season... a lot of teams have tested them and it will be interesting to see which teams will integrate it on their cars from the beginning of the season.

Edit: If other teams use it from the beginning of the season I think ferrari will need to have it as well if the want to be competitive out of the ebox

The problem is that effectively nobody made it work succesfully yet. Ferrari never tested it on track, so they are at the backfoot on that front anyhow. The question remains then if you as a team want to invest time and resources into something you have little experience or data about, and that it is proven by others that is very hard to make it work properly, if not impossible.
We might see it tested, but if I believe that when it doesn't give results inmediately, they will drop it. Remember, they have one week less testing.

I think part of the reason teams had a issue getting it to work successfully was that it was a add on accessory to a design and not designed into the original 2012 challengers.Would be interesting to see what if any other changes are incorperated into the car to make it more effective,engine cover etc...

[Crucial_Xtreme]

According to the Gazzetta, (one of) Ferrari's new Aerodynamic Engineers David Sanchez(McLaren) is working on both new front & rear wings and also redesigning the DRS of the 2013 single seater.


Edit: Gazzetta says he was hired for his expertise in the area of wings(FW/RW)

[Kiril Varbanov]

According to the Gazzetta, (one of) Ferrari's new Aerodynamic Engineers David Sanchez(McLaren) is working on both new front & rear wings and also redesigning the DRS of the 2013 single seater.


Edit: Gazzetta says he was hired for his expertise in the area of wings(FW/RW)

He is Principal Aerodynamicist at Scuderia Ferrari now. He worked for Renault as well in 2005, while the connection with Ferrari -Mclaren is obviously Pat Fry.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

According to the Gazzetta, (one of) Ferrari's new Aerodynamic Engineers David Sanchez(McLaren) is working on both new front & rear wings and also redesigning the DRS of the 2013 single seater.


Edit: Gazzetta says he was hired for his expertise in the area of wings(FW/RW)

He is Principal Aerodynamicist at Scuderia Ferrari now. He worked for Renault as well in 2005, while the connection with Ferrari -Mclaren is obviously Pat Fry.

I'm not sure what you mean by "Principal". If I'm not mistaken Loic Bigois is Head of Aerodynamics for Ferrari.

[Gridlock]

We should start a pool on what the car will be called, unless they already announced it?

Guess we can rule out any Ford trucks.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Ferrari is working hard on the project 664, the technical staff has studied the F2012 intensively, in order to keep the strong points and to improve the many weak features of the car.
The whole design was based around the Acer exhausts, which were quickly abandoned, because they did not give the desired results on track, this was one of the main reasons the F2012 performed not as expected.
The 664 will no longer have this exhaust system, but will most likely use the sides/exhaust concept as seen on the Sauber and Red Bull, this system has proven to be the most effective way of using the hot air from the exhausts and improving downforce, because of this change, they will have to redesign the diffusor.

A lot of work will also be done on the front and rear wings, David Sanchez, former head of aerodynamics McLaren, has joined Ferrari and is working especially on this, most likely he will completely redesign the DRS system, which was also one of the weak points of the F2012.
The pull rod front suspension will stay and will probably be used by McLaren and Lotus also, a system that was abandoned because of the higher noses, but came back in fashion with the 2012/2013 technical regulations, which forced the teams to lower the front area of the car.

The pull rod is already confirmed on the 664, as it allows a lower center of gravity of the car (shock absorbers and torsion bars are placed lower) but the biggest gain is of aerodynamic nature, because it provides a cleaner air flow towards the rear diffusor.
Mechanically the front suspension will undergo some changes, to make it more stable especially when braking, a known problem of the F2012, and to make the car more compatible with the new Pirelli tyres, the same will hapen to the rear suspension.

In the rear area we will almost certain see a solution, as seen on this year Red Bull, but also as far back as on the Williams FW16 1994, this solution is to encase the rear suspension with an aerodynamic foil, including the triangles of the suspension and the axle shaft, in this way, the whole rear suspension becomes an airflow profile.
This profile will guide the airflow to the lower profile of the rear wing and the diffusor, thereby increasing the downforce of the car.

Source is Gazzetta & Analisi Tecnica Formula 1

[timbo]

......
In the rear area we will almost certain see a solution, as seen on this year Red Bull, but also as far back as on the Williams FW16 1994, this solution is to encase the rear suspension with an aerodynamic foil, including the triangles of the suspension and the axle shaft, in this way, the whole rear suspension becomes an airflow profile.
This profile will guide the airflow to the lower profile of the rear wing and the diffusor, thereby increasing the downforce of the car.

Source is Gazzetta & Analisi Tecnica Formula 1

Not quite sure what to make of that. I don't see a foil on RBR8 and I think such things are forbidden.

[shelly]

Rb8 rear wishbone arm acts as a fairinf for the driveshaft.
The result is so clean that it seems something is missing. See discussion in rb8 thread early this winter:
http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... &start=255

[Crucial_Xtreme]

......
In the rear area we will almost certain see a solution, as seen on this year Red Bull, but also as far back as on the Williams FW16 1994, this solution is to encase the rear suspension with an aerodynamic foil, including the triangles of the suspension and the axle shaft, in this way, the whole rear suspension becomes an airflow profile.
This profile will guide the airflow to the lower profile of the rear wing and the diffusor, thereby increasing the downforce of the car.

Source is Gazzetta & Analisi Tecnica Formula 1

Not quite sure what to make of that. I don't see a foil on RBR8 and I think such things are forbidden.

Take another look at the rear of the RB8 because its definitely there. The lower wishbone, driveshaft/axle shaft, is covered with a "fairing" which is in the shape of an aerofoil. It's just above the large vertical strakes on the floor at the rear of the car.

I think we'll see more than just Ferrari copy this solution.

Edit: you can see the aerofoil in the picture below which is what Ferrari is said to copy for 2013

[Kiril Varbanov]

I'm not sure what you mean by "Principal". If I'm not mistaken Loic Bigois is Head of Aerodynamics for Ferrari.

So am I - but this is what his Linkedin page says. I will assume that principal is lower in the hierarchy than Head of, so it looks like to me that Sanchez will report to Bigoic ... (#scratchingHead)

The team page of SF isn't updated, the media center is quiet, nobody is responding to emails ... I guess it's time for me as well to put the Santa hat and turn off the computing devices around as well.

[timbo]

Take another look at the rear of the RB8 because its definitely there. The lower wishbone, driveshaft/axle shaft, is covered with a "fairing" which is in the shape of an aerofoil. It's just above the large vertical strakes on the floor at the rear of the car.

Ah, yeah I see. Looks like control arm is merged in too? That sort of solutions were used before with control arm covering driveshaft. The lower wishbone was also used as a foil to effectively increase the length of the diffuser. I thought FIA outlawed it. This solution seems to questionable via paragraph 10.3.1 of the regulations:

10.3.1 With the exception of minimal local changes of section for the passage of hydraulic brake lines, electrical wiring and wheel tethers or the attachment of flexures, rod ends and spherical bearings, the cross-sections of each member of every suspension component, when taken normal to a straight line between the inner and outer attachment points, must :
- Intersect the straight line between the inner and outer attachment points.
- Have a major axis no greater than 100mm.
- Have an aspect ratio no greater than 3.5:1.
- Be nominally symmetrical about its major axis.
The major axis will be defined as the largest dimension of any such cross-section.

I wonder what makes it legal, maybe 10.3.2

10.3.2 When assessing compliance with Article 10.3.1, suspension members having shared attachment points will be considered by a virtual dissection into discrete members.

[godlameroso]

It can't be an outright aerofoil but it can certainly help as a flow conditioner

[joeyg02]

They changed chassis, but changing his chassis didn't bring him much at the time it happened...

I also wonder what caused Massa to suddenly "click" in the final stretch of the season, all this while the car hardly improved for Alonso.

I've always thought it was just his confidence after he signed with ferrari for 2013. That's when he started improving.