bhall II wrote: .....
Examples of problems that can be caused by insufficient or erratic stiffness:
- Chronic setup difficulties
- Inconsistent development, both mechanical and aero
- Poor low-speed traction if the suspension is stiffened to correct high-speed balance issues
- Bizarre race strategy born from an inability to understand the tires
Any of those seem familiar?
I believe Ferrari's technical problems are structural.
Naturally, I can't confirm if any of this is right or wrong. However, it's 100% plausible, even though it would seem to be a failure of something so fundamental that most folks probably wouldn't expect it to happen at "the pinnacle of motorsport."
I too believe that at least some of Ferrari's problems are structural. The question is, are the problems caused by engineering mistakes, or by managerial mistakes? I think it's the latter.
Let's look at Red Bull. They aren't perfect, but what did catch my eye is how strong their suspension has been over the last couple of years. Their drivers have banged wheels with rivals and walls many times, yet they've come away unharmed (undamaged) on almost all occasions. The exception was Ricciardo's suspension failure in 2015.
I think it's probable that Red Bull intentionally build their front suspension extra robust, beyond what is optimal according to traditional values such as (semi-unsprung) mass, CoG and drag. I think that they have understood the importance of the structural rigidity of the front suspension, given how sensitive the Pirelli tyres are. Robust design and rigidity will give them higher accuracy, more reliable data, better suspension characteristics, greater setup fine-tuning opportunities and most of all prolonged tyre life and performance and ultimately more a more stable aero platform.
I think Ferrari has failed to adapt to modern requirements, and still use traditional performance measurements. It's the Ferrari way of doing things, trying to be efficient while failing to be effective. Their recent history is filled with examples of them failing to adapt, the most prominent one being the transition from track testing to CFD & Wind tunnel testing.
It's the failure of senior engineers and managers to steer the engineers towards doing the right things, caused by the pressure applied from above and the requirement of immediate results. You've probably explained that better yourself than anyone here in the forums. In the end I don't think Ferrari lacks the engineering expertise, capacity or resources to build a great car. They just needs to adapt more quickly, be more effective in their work and realize what makes a car quick with today's regulations and equipment.
This isn't to contradict your carefully build wall of text though. I think you're right, but ultimately it all leads back to top management.