Ferrari SF1000

[saviour stivala]

Teams have been on shutdown for basically all but a couple of weeks since winter testing. A team that rolls-out a major update in Styria, such as an engine upgrade, must have had that upgrade already in the pipeline, and simply needed validating on test-bench/dyno running before being pushed-out for on track use.

[Xwang]

At the beginning of the year Binotto said that they would have used a pair of weeks just before or after ( I do not remember) the presentation to run dynamic tests on the suspension test rig.
Now it seems that only during testing at Barcellona (or better after it) they discovered excessive torsions of the gearbox.
Shouldn't those issues be evident during a proper done dynamic test on the suspension test rig?

[Sevach]

In a perfect world yes.

They'll need to review that rig now.

[Edo]

[base_1000]

The SF1000 turned up in Australia with cooling vents, didn't see this posted here:


Back of the nosecone:



There's a thicker outer carbon fibre layer on the SF1000 and the pin heads are now cylindrical instead of spherical. Which I find odd since I'd assume the spherical heads are better and would find their way easier into the locating holes. (Can someone identify that specific type of connector in the centre?)





I've been studying the car because I've been 3D modelling it (the surfaces on my model won't ever be 100% accurate of course) and I've noticed that there's a new panel/port on the bottom right side of the car near the floor.


Photo: Getty/NurPhoto


It's been moved from this position on the SF90:


Photo: Crag Scarborough/ScarbsTech


Photo: f1i.auto-moto.com

I think this is for the data umbilical port, this is only an assumption though.



Does anyone have clear photos of Ferrari's headrest locating holes and harness mounts? I've went through probably more than a thousand of pages here, gettyimages.com, motorsportimages.com, and Twitter combined looking for and collecting relevant references photos of the SF1000 (for 3D modelling) and I've never came across a good clear photo of it, even of the SF90 (I don't think they changed the design/location of it).






And also, what is that in the middle of both locating holes? It's not for headrest as their headrest only have two locating pins on the back.



Sidenote, I've noticed Seb and Charles rarely take off their headrests when exiting the car unless they're in the garage with the mechanics taking them off, they prefer squeezing out of the cockpit instead unlike Hamilton and Valtteri who commonly take theirs off. I've never seen Charles take his off while Seb only did it in France, Japan, and Mexico. Maybe it's because of Ferrari's simple design and that they don't want to lose the retaining clips? Mercedes' have their pins retained on the headrest tips when you pull on it.

[Ringleheim]

At the beginning of the year Binotto said that they would have used a pair of weeks just before or after ( I do not remember) the presentation to run dynamic tests on the suspension test rig.
Now it seems that only during testing at Barcellona (or better after it) they discovered excessive torsions of the gearbox.
Shouldn't those issues be evident during a proper done dynamic test on the suspension test rig?

If this sort of thing is true and accurately reported, as the biggest fan of Ferrari at this website, I have to ask what the F. is going on in Maranello.

This sort of amateur garbage reminds me of their inability to get the wind tunnel sorted out, despite working on the problem for a period of years.

I'm going a bit off-topic here, but I think I have decided I don't like Binotto. He has a great reputation within the scuderia, and that must be based on something, but he is overworked and not the man to run the show. I think he is better suited to a supporting role.

I fear a few more years of frustration with Ferrari before they undergo yet another regime change.

[dans79]

I fear a few more years of frustration with Ferrari before they undergo yet another regime change.

Yep, both senior management, and a large chunk of the fan base seem to have a win now mentality, and it's not doing them any favors.

[LM10]

At the beginning of the year Binotto said that they would have used a pair of weeks just before or after ( I do not remember) the presentation to run dynamic tests on the suspension test rig.
Now it seems that only during testing at Barcellona (or better after it) they discovered excessive torsions of the gearbox.
Shouldn't those issues be evident during a proper done dynamic test on the suspension test rig?

He surely told that they would run the engine on the bench directly after presentation (that was the reason they had a relatively early presentation). Haven’t heard about suspension test rig. Are you sure you’re not mixing things up?

[Xwang]

At the beginning of the year Binotto said that they would have used a pair of weeks just before or after ( I do not remember) the presentation to run dynamic tests on the suspension test rig.
Now it seems that only during testing at Barcellona (or better after it) they discovered excessive torsions of the gearbox.
Shouldn't those issues be evident during a proper done dynamic test on the suspension test rig?

He surely told that they would run the engine on the bench directly after presentation (that was the reason they had a relatively early presentation). Haven’t heard about suspension test rig. Are you sure you’re not mixing things up?

I'm trying to find where I read or heard that, but I clearly remember that he was speaking about suspension test rig because he was saying that they would be able to understand the car better than the previous year with such test.

[Edo]

If they can fix the supension rig/gearbox issue, do you think that this will greatly improve the car behavior, reducing the high amount of understeer?

Difficult to assess the potential gain, but maybe 1 to 3 tenths per lap, depending on how big is/was the problem and on the layout of the circuit?

[Sevach]

It will give them consistency since the cars won't be changing suspension geometry corner to corner, also gives the drivers the some confidence since the car is gonna become more predictable.
Hard to put a number on those things though...

Ferrari had something similar in Australia 2018, that time was with it's diffuser (arguably a much bigger deal), the diffuser edges weren't strong/stiff enough and under some circumstances the car would lose a huge portion of it's rear
downforce, the car was unimpressive in OZ (despite the fact that by chance/fate Vettel ended up winning that GP).
Ferrari setup the cars for this race with a lot of inherent understeer to combat the impredictability of the rear.
So basically those of us watching at home we got the notion Ferrari made a car that didn't have any front grip, and could never have guessed the fix was gonna come from the rear of the car.

For Bahrain Ferrari added a stay to strengthen it's diffuser and the car was transformed, locked the front row and won, this time without aid of timely safety cars and other things...

[Edo]

Yeah, very similar situation, no one expected that big leap in performance.

Maybe we can’t quantify the potential improvement, but at least we can be sure that there will be an improvement (small or big) in lap time and tyre management by solving that issue [-o<

[Phlumbert]

So apparently no major upgrades now?

https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/for ... -red-bull/

WHO BRINGS NEW PARTS TO AUSTRIA? Ferrari without major upgrades

The Formula 1 season finally starts on July 5th. Mercedes and Red Bull have upgraded their cars properly. Ferrari, on the other hand, is forgoing major upgrades. Nevertheless, in Maranello they are sure to be able to improve the performance.

It's already a strange season. It starts in the middle of the year, and there are cars on the grid that are already in their second stage of development, although the first one has never raced on the track. We've only got to know them to some extent in the garages in Melbourne.

112 days later, the wheel has continued to turn in the design offices, even though 63 days of that were not allowed to work at all. But whoever could, after the factories opened, worked through the developments that were already in the pipeline for the first four races. Ferrari is surprised that the direct competitors were able to achieve so much in such a short time.

Mercedes, for example, is bringing a major aerodynamic upgrade to the Red Bull Ring. The version that would have run up in Melbourne and was used in the final days of testing in Barcelona corresponds to the development status of Christmas 2019, according to technical director James Allison. In the meantime, a lot has piled up, some of which has been worked off before and after the work stoppage.

Red Bull will also be competing in its home races with a greater evolution, as Sports Director Helmut Marko reveals: "The car in Spielberg will not be identical to the one that would have been driven in Melbourne. We brought the upgrade to the car that was scheduled for the fifth race in Barcelona and a second one now for Spielberg. All based on CFD and wind tunnel. There's a certain amount of uncertainty about that. You go to the third stage without knowing how the first and second updates would have felt in practice. We didn't have a chance to test it, so we have to assume the data is accurate."

Reports about Ferrari upgrades untrue

Ferrari was advertised in the Italian media as a half new SF1000, with a slimmer nose, a stiffer gearbox, new rear axle and 30 hp more from the engine. The raceless time has apparently stimulated the imagination. An upgrade on this scale would not be possible at all or would be completely nonsensical. There Ferrari would have already burned more tokens than allowed and would have committed itself to the engine until the end of the season.

"We only have very small changes to the car. It was more important for us to understand the SF1000 better. We have indeed made a good step forward," confirmed a spokesman. The first significant modifications will probably only be made after the Hungarian GP.

Racing Point has no new parts in its luggage either. "Our big upgrade would have gone in Melbourne. Nothing came to that. The next upgrade is planned for later", reveals technical boss Andy Green. This is also not a cost-cutting measure. Green: "If we'd had more modifications up our sleeve for the first few races, they would have gotten hold of the car. We have total confidence in our tools and don't have to try out the previous modification on the track before we bring the next one to the car. We wouldn't wait."

Small packages at McLaren and Alfa It's the same way

McLaren and Alfa Romeo do it. The cars are no longer on the Melbourne stand in Austria. Alfa Romeo even made the changes that were in the development schedule for the races in Austria and England, despite the short time available. Alpha Tauri has also used the break to further develop its car. The changes were already on the AT01 at the team's film day in Imola.

Haas on the other hand is holding back. Stand Melbourne is Stand Red Bull-Ring. The US racing team is saving. First of all, team boss Guenther Steiner wants to see how the season develops for Haas and how long it lasts. Only then will it be decided whether the development department needs to turbo boost again.

Translated with DeepL

[Sevach]

Amus is usually reliable.

The wording leaves some room for speculations however.

[Edo]

So apparently no major upgrades now?

https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/for ... -red-bull/

WHO BRINGS NEW PARTS TO AUSTRIA? Ferrari without major upgrades

The Formula 1 season finally starts on July 5th. Mercedes and Red Bull have upgraded their cars properly. Ferrari, on the other hand, is forgoing major upgrades. Nevertheless, in Maranello they are sure to be able to improve the performance.

It's already a strange season. It starts in the middle of the year, and there are cars on the grid that are already in their second stage of development, although the first one has never raced on the track. We've only got to know them to some extent in the garages in Melbourne.

112 days later, the wheel has continued to turn in the design offices, even though 63 days of that were not allowed to work at all. But whoever could, after the factories opened, worked through the developments that were already in the pipeline for the first four races. Ferrari is surprised that the direct competitors were able to achieve so much in such a short time.

Mercedes, for example, is bringing a major aerodynamic upgrade to the Red Bull Ring. The version that would have run up in Melbourne and was used in the final days of testing in Barcelona corresponds to the development status of Christmas 2019, according to technical director James Allison. In the meantime, a lot has piled up, some of which has been worked off before and after the work stoppage.

Red Bull will also be competing in its home races with a greater evolution, as Sports Director Helmut Marko reveals: "The car in Spielberg will not be identical to the one that would have been driven in Melbourne. We brought the upgrade to the car that was scheduled for the fifth race in Barcelona and a second one now for Spielberg. All based on CFD and wind tunnel. There's a certain amount of uncertainty about that. You go to the third stage without knowing how the first and second updates would have felt in practice. We didn't have a chance to test it, so we have to assume the data is accurate."

Reports about Ferrari upgrades untrue

Ferrari was advertised in the Italian media as a half new SF1000, with a slimmer nose, a stiffer gearbox, new rear axle and 30 hp more from the engine. The raceless time has apparently stimulated the imagination. An upgrade on this scale would not be possible at all or would be completely nonsensical. There Ferrari would have already burned more tokens than allowed and would have committed itself to the engine until the end of the season.

"We only have very small changes to the car. It was more important for us to understand the SF1000 better. We have indeed made a good step forward," confirmed a spokesman. The first significant modifications will probably only be made after the Hungarian GP.

Racing Point has no new parts in its luggage either. "Our big upgrade would have gone in Melbourne. Nothing came to that. The next upgrade is planned for later", reveals technical boss Andy Green. This is also not a cost-cutting measure. Green: "If we'd had more modifications up our sleeve for the first few races, they would have gotten hold of the car. We have total confidence in our tools and don't have to try out the previous modification on the track before we bring the next one to the car. We wouldn't wait."

Small packages at McLaren and Alfa It's the same way

McLaren and Alfa Romeo do it. The cars are no longer on the Melbourne stand in Austria. Alfa Romeo even made the changes that were in the development schedule for the races in Austria and England, despite the short time available. Alpha Tauri has also used the break to further develop its car. The changes were already on the AT01 at the team's film day in Imola.

Haas on the other hand is holding back. Stand Melbourne is Stand Red Bull-Ring. The US racing team is saving. First of all, team boss Guenther Steiner wants to see how the season develops for Haas and how long it lasts. Only then will it be decided whether the development department needs to turbo boost again.

Translated with DeepL

Maybe they were busy fixing the gearbox problem and the excessive drag related to fluid dynamics