2011 Car Launches & Pictures

[iceman1]

F150: description

The F150 is the fifty-seventh single-seater built by Ferrari specifically to compete in the Formula 1 World Championship. The Maranello marque chose the name as a tribute and celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Unification of Italy.

The project, which goes by the internal code name of 662, represents the Scuderia’s interpretation of the technical and sporting regulations that apply this year. Various factors influenced the design of the car, especially on the aerodynamic front, to the extent that the F150 can be seen as severing ties with the recent past. The innovative aspects are in part dictated by changes to the regulations and partly down to original thinking from our designers. As far as the rule changes from 2010 are concerned, the double diffuser and the blown rear wing are banned, as is the use of apertures in the front part of the floor, while the use of an hydraulically controlled adjustable rear wing has been introduced. After an unofficial agreement saw its use banned for 2010, KERS is back this year, thanks partly to the increase in the car’s minimum weight and stricter controls on weight distribution figures. The Scuderia has decided to incorporate this technology on the F150 and this has had a significant impact on the design, also taking into account that the dimensions of the fuel cell are very different to what they were in 2009. Also significant are changes dictated by the introduction of stricter safety requirements in terms of crash-tests, cockpit area protection and wheel-retaining cables for use in accidents.

At first glance, the front part of the F150 monocoque appears to be higher than that of the F10. The openings for the side air intakes are reduced in size, while the layout of the dynamic one above the driver’s head has been modified. The rear suspension features a new design, while that at the front has been modified, following changes to the front part of the chassis. The exhaust system layout is similar to that adopted for the second half of last season and the cooling system has had to take into account the return of KERS and the new air exit ducts. The braking system has been completely redesigned in collaboration with Brembo.

However, the aerodynamic package sported by the car at the presentation is very different to the one which will be seen for the first race in Bahrain: for the early stages of testing, the decision was taken to concentrate on development aspects linked to the mechanical components and on developing an understanding of the Pirelli tyres, while continuing to push on the development of aerodynamic performance in the wind tunnel. Indeed, the tyres will be another significant new element this season: after a thirteen year relationship with Bridgestone, this year it is Pirelli who take up the baton as sole supplier to Formula 1 for the next three years and thus provide the tyres for the cars from Maranello. Given that the teams have so far only managed two days of testing with the new tyres back in November, clearly the fifteen days of testing prior to the start of the season will be very important when it comes to adapting the handling of the car to the tyres.

As the freeze on engine performance development is still ongoing, there have been no actual modifications to the 056 engine, but that does not mean Ferrari’s engine specialists have been idle. Work has gone into improving reliability, working especially on the pneumatic front, as well as on reducing costs. Furthermore, the reintroduction of KERS has led to a substantial change in the architecture of the front end of the engine, with modifications to the drive shaft system of the KERS itself and the crankshaft and this has led to changes to the cooling and lubrication systems. The kinetic energy recovery system, designed by Ferrari, has been produced in conjunction with MTS and Magneti Marelli and was fine tuned based on experience acquired in 2009, with the aim of reducing its size and weight, while maintaining, in accordance with the regulations, the maximum useable power and its useage cycle over one lap. This is another area where great attention has been paid to cost reduction, both in terms of its development and the way it is run, so as to make the system equally viable for our customer teams, Sauber and Toro Rosso. The positioning of the KERS within the fuel cell was a further impetus to look at solutions aimed at reducing fuel consumption: in this area, the contribution from a key partner in the form of Shell was vital and will continue to be so throughout the season.

The number of testing days available to the teams remains the same, with 15 prior to the start of the season, therefore preparatory work on the test beds, prior to taking to the track has been ever more important, both on the chassis side and for areas such as the gearbox, engine and KERS.

As is always the case at Ferrari, great attention has been paid to the performance and optimisation of all materials used, in the design stages and when going through quality control, striving to maximise performance levels and reliability, while delivering the highest possible safety standards.

[Ali]

[F1Fan88]

Doesn´t look to be that agressive. McLaren say they will push the limits and expect people will complain on their design. This doesn´t look to be a inovative car.

[alex1369]

To be honest im a bit dissapointed with new Ferrari - i expect from every team , every year something innovative - spectacuilar like Mclaren showed in 2010

We will see the others soon...

[Ferrariman60]

They've done the same dodgy thing with their front wheel rims...

[iceman1]

Q. Which are the most innovative characteristics of the F150?

NT: We've been working on different innovations for the car: some of ours and some new for Formula 1 in general. The rear suspension is really innovative, so is the rear wing system. But there are more novelties coming up regarding the configuration for the first race, which aren't in the car yet, for example something for the rear wing and the exhausts.

[Omegablue]

They've done the same dodgy thing with their front wheel rims...

If it was dodgy then it would be banned?

Anyway, the Ferrari that finally ended their title's drought was the F-2000 back in 2000, and that car was a continously evolution from the 1997 machine. Little bit changed here and there each year, and then they went on to win 5 WDC in row... Same story with the 2005 car which lead to the 2007 and 2008 titles.

I'm sure they know what their doing... But still I'm disappointed in it's looks. Innovation? Well with the present rules lets be honest, what can be innovative? Last year's McLaren wasn't all the revolutionary either.
Gone are the days when the 1988 McLaren was revealed, the 1989 Ferrari, the 1990 Tyrrel, 92 Benetton, and etc...

Then again when Ferrari was innovative, The 92 and 96 cars were prime donkeys.

[phil1993]

Its a mistake, they accidentally launched the F10 again

[iceman1]

Its a mistake, they accidentally launched the F10 again

[phil1993]

Seriously though, they said it would be innovative

Also, the logo on the engine cover is horrible.

[Omegablue]

Well, the red is slightly darker... Woohooo!

Then again if it wins both titles I'll be labelling it the best looking F1 car ever. LOL

[SilentKiller]

I like the livery and the colour. Its better than the last two year's Ferrari.

bla.. bla... bla... the car might be a turd, but we will be polishing it

That is obvious once they have a nicer look at the RB7 AND THE MP4-26.

[phil1993]

Gary Anderson's verdict:

We might still be in the midst of those long, dark nights and short days of January, but for the Formula 1 teams it has been a winter of long days and very short nights to get their 2011 cars designed, researched, manufactured and assembled in time.

The first car uncovered is the Ferrari F150. It's certainly RED, but is it BULLish enough to be a contender for honours in the up-coming season? After the team dropped the ball at the final round in Abu Dhabi last season, the Italian media and indeed the Italian population are going to accept nothing less than Ferrari winning the drivers' and constructors' world championships in 2011. If not, there will be heads on the chopping block.

With ex-McLaren man Pat Fry now heading up the race engineering side of the team, Ferrari has brought in a wealth of experience and he should be a positive influence. But, as we all know, F1 is not a one man band - it is about a team of three to six hundred people all working together as one unit, and that so often is where Ferrari seems to trip up.

As for the car itself, my first impression is that I am a little surprised that the 'press release' launch version is not more aggressive. By saying that I am not being critical of the team's efforts, but if you look at the front wing for example – the most important aerodynamic component on a current F1 car – it is more-or-less the same as the 2010 version. I expected a wing that would be more complex in the outer areas of the wing sections – these are critical to airflow separation problems. Perhaps this will appear in the weeks of pre-season testing...

The F150 has a higher nose to allow better airflow to the leading edge of the underfloor which allows the barge boards to improve their performance by increasing the airflow velocity in this area.

As for the sidepods; again they are neat and tidy but the undercut section on the leading edge, and through the side of the car, is very benign. And, as they sweep in at the rear to what is called the coke bottle area they are not very aggressive, in my opinion Ferrari hasn't pushed the limits far enough.

The rear wing has the variable rear flap to allow the slot gap to be opened up from a minimum of around 14mm to a maximum of 50mm to help overtaking on the straights.

Personally, if I was involved in the rule making I would have gone about this the other way around and had a minimum slot gap of 50mm and allowed the driver to close the gap – which would give more downforce. The driver could then do this in the braking area or in a corner complex and actually overtake another car in an area where we would like to see overtaking. That still requires driving skill.

The rear suspension is push rod-operated, I think many people including myself expected a Red Bull-esqe pull rod suspension system but Ferrari has stuck with what it had previously.

I suppose the thinking is that with the double diffuser now banned this area is not so critical, but in my opinion it is now more important to get every last nanosecond of performance from every component. Remember at the beginning of 2009 Red Bull had a pull rod rear suspension before the double diffuser was declared legal and it was the only team with a normal diffuser capable of being competitive at the first race.

The diffuser on the Ferrari is a simple component using the maximum area allowed in the regulations, but I am sure this area will be the subject of lots of development.

The return of the KERS system has meant a compromise on the fuel tank location. The KERS components are very heavy, so it is important to mount them as low as possible so they are packaged under the fuel tank which is just behind the driver.

Well that's enough of a rant from me about the new Ferrari, and as we all know it is not just what we can see on the surface that dictates whether a car is quick. But I believe Ferrari has a lot of development to do if it is to make its fans happy by the end of 2011.

[Fergie1]

The burning question for me is what does the F150 look like in an armco barrier?

[phil1993]

Imagine the F10 in the armco