via Scarbs on AutoSport
Monaco tech: Ferrari engine revealed
There weren't too many aero tweaks for Monaco this year, but practice provided an answer to one of 2014's big remaining engine tech questions, as CRAIG SCARBOROUGH explains
Monaco has long been about maximising downforce without worrying too much about drag, but with Formula 1 teams having to exploit ever-more restrictive aerodynamic regulations, they are already running near or at the maximum in most races.
So the traditional Monaco-specific set-ups are now becoming more of a simple variation on the baseline.
As a result, the developments seen this weekend are subtle, but there are still some interesting changes - and practice also revealed one of the pitlane's remaining 2014 tech unknowns.
For a team steeped in F1 tradition and proud of its engines, Ferrari has remained secretive about its 2014 power unit. No images of the engine have been revealed and technical personnel have been kept away from the track and the media.
The exact format of the engines was exposed when the unit was being removed from Kimi Raikkonen's car in free practice.
Ferrari has the turbo at the back of the engine like Renault, but like Mercedes it has split the exhaust driven turbine from the compressor.
The separation is far smaller than the Mercedes arrangement, with just enough space to mount the MGU-H in between the two components.
With this set-up, Ferrari can mount the turbo much lower, as they do not need to fit these parts within the 'V' of the engine. This means the turbo can be much lower within the gearbox for better aerodynamics and a lower centre of gravity.
Now the turbo needs to cool the charge air and route it to the front of the inlet plenums. This was unclear until Thursday, but Ferrari fits the water intercooler in between the inlet plenums, within the 'V' of the engine.
Then the intercooler has a U-bend to duct the cooler charge air to the inlets. Separate water pipes then take the heated to water to a smaller radiator in the sidepods.
This keeps the hardware out of the sidepods and fuel tank area for better aero, and the pipework short for less turbo lag. In this guise, the Ferrari engine architecture is at least as elegant as the Mercedes. But it does come at the cost of some extra weight for the water intercooler.
It's unfortunate for Ferrari's two customers, Marussia and Sauber, that they also get this set-up as part of the complete Ferrari powertrain supply.
They are less able to reduce weight from the rest of the car to accommodate the heavier engine installation.
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