Quote: Denorth wrote in post #840FIAT logo is gone - I think it is due to fact that Alfa is launching a new model this year. As a person driving Alfa I 'double' like it
Ferrari expects its 2015 F1 car to suit Kimi Raikkonen better
Technical director James Allison said after the launch of the new SF15-T on Friday that Raikkonen should be better off this year.
"We will only know for sure once we are running on the track, but I hope that the SF-15T will be much more comfortable for him with both a stronger front end in mid corner and more support from the rear under braking," said Allison.
Raikkonen could also be helped by stronger rear tyres from Pirelli - which will help improve confidence when cornering.
"It will be the rear casing that is the most significant," explained Allison.
"It allows the car better support under combined loading conditions and gives the driver more confidence through the corner as a result."
Link to interview with James Allison describing the SF15-T. Always shows some "close-up" features of the car with neat camera angles you don't see in pictures. I really like what they did with the front end. Even a non-engineer like myself can see where the air is supposed to go
quoteFerrari: Real progress or another false dawn?
Jerez testing suggested that the new SF15-T is a step in the right direction for Vettel and Raikkonen.
The snow lies deep right now at Maranello. A winter snowfall – half a metre to be precise – turned the surroundings of the Ferrari factory into a picture postcard scene, meaning the engineers had an extra hurdle to conquer as they scurried to work, to crunch all the data from the SF15-T's encouraging first test at Jerez the week before.
Recently-ensconced team principal Maurizio Arrivabene speaks of the Scuderia rediscovering its team spirit, and what we saw – and heard – in Jerez was a much tidier car and more purposeful-sounding V6 turbo engine.
And therein lies Ferrari's recent travails: a chassis department that blamed the engine group for its win-less 2014, and vice versa.
Neither operating to the peak of their abilities, and the sum of the parts fell way short compared to Red Bull and, latterly, Mercedes.
The end of the blame game
But you can only play the blame game for so long, and out of the ashes of a firestorm of high-profile departures (Luca di Montezemolo, Pat Fry, Nicholas Tombazis, Neil Martin, Hirohide Hamashima to name but five) there must be strong direction to keep the new-look staff on track.
Marque chief Sergio Marchionne is renowned as a tough operator, not afraid to take difficult or bold decisions, and should be just the ticket in tandem with Arrivabene, who is a renowned and well-connected innovator.
Technical director James Allison worked wonders to turn Lotus into a winner, to get the most out of Kimi Raikkonen, and in Sebastian Vettel it has an A-lister to replace Fernando Alonso with far less political tendencies than the McLaren-bound Spaniard.
Fixing the weaknesses
Allison admits to a "definite weakness" in the recovery of electrical energy from the car's hybrid system last year, and the engine department has concentrated on changing the architecture of the power unit to better balance its race and qualifying performances.
We're hearing rumours of a "massive power boost" compared to its 2014 internal combustion engine, so if it plays its tokens right, we could be set for a game-changing turnaround in fortunes.
Yet to read too much into the Jerez laptimes is a fool's errand; there is no way yet to truly quantify where Ferrari stacks up to its rivals. The smart money is that Mercedes is still out front, also that the Prancing Horse is considerably closer than the 1.7s off the pace that it ended last season.
The Kimi factor
The fact that Raikkonen was positively bubbly (by his standards, anyway) after his first two days in the car speaks volumes.
It was clear last season that Alonso's input was 'turned off' in favour of Raikkonen, and it looks like Kimi has been listened to – just like he was mid-2007 for THAT amazing world title turnaround.
In its Corse Clienti F1 hangar at nearby Fiorano, also covered in snow right now, Raikkonen's title-winning 2007 car sits as a silent reminder that its glory days weren't so long ago.
It's perhaps unlikely that SF15-T is its next world championship winner, but it has to be a step in the right direction.
Found this on facebook, so no source . But it sound so good
quoteAccording to La Gazette, Räikkönens work morale and overall input has increased a lot with Vettel´s arrival. The level of communication has also increased and they often work together in the factory. Something that didn´t happen very often with Alonso. Turrini confirmed the same.
quoteThe new Ferrari is the shortest car in the field after Mercedes. Nevertheless, Mercedes manages that the side pods are further away from the front wheels than on Ferrari. Also, because the cockpit is further back. For Ferrari takes gets more space under chassis tube. There the car is on Red Bull level. You could say that Ferrari would have done a mix of Red Bull and Mercedes.
Also, compared to the old F14-T the wheelbase has shrunk. For this purpose, the new car is flatter than the old one, noticeable especially from the start of side pods to the rear. The old Ferrari was more bulky. The delicate design already carries the signature of Allison and de Beer. The Lotus of 2012 and 2013 were compact, easy-to-drive cars. The latter property the SF15-T has also taken, according to the drivers. The aerodynamics is less sensitive to changes in ride height.
The front end - Tests run with a short nose
The Ferrari has next to Toro Rosso the longest nose in the field. It extends 30 cm over the front wing, which up to now has been only modified at the end plates. It hasn’t harmed the SF15-T apparently. Vettel and Raikkonen commented positively on driving behavior.
Of course, Ferrari engineers have not missed the trend towards short noses. Ferrari drives internal tests with shorter noses, but we hear that the aerodynamics as yet don’t see any decisive advantages. Nevertheless, they work on a short nose and crash test for it. They want to be prepared for all eventualities.
At the front, Ferrari holds stubbornly to the pull rod technology. This year again as the only team. But the chassis at the front was refined and better adapted to the aerodynamics. For the first time the brake calipers are attached below.
Together with a lower wishbone, which spreads like Mercedes-model just before the chassis, it provides a low center of gravity and a much better flow behind the front axle. Because the pivot point of the pull rod is now hidden behind the lower wishbone.
The ears of the TV cameras spread much further off than the previous model. They are misused as mini wings. Under the nose hasn’t happened much. The deflector plates remind of the previous year. In that area a lot of fine tuning is still needed to capture the realigned Y250 swirls.
Between the axles - side pods with less bulge
Even the old F14-T had the smallest side pods of all cars. This is time it’s also that way, only with a different architecture. Higher at the front, at the rear more compact. In the middle the bulge is less pronounced. Therefore there is more free space on the bottom plate at the beginning of the side pods.
Last year he reached at the widest point almost to the underbody edge. Nice to see on photos from above. In return, the side pod retracts a bit later, but is at the back again as slim as in the previous year. And clearly flatter. Good for the flow of the underbody.
Ferrari continues to use the outrageously expensive coolers of company Mezzotech. Which achieve the same performance at 15% less area as compared to conventional coolers. The advantage of the cooler is especially evident in the slow sections. The faster, the lower the value is.
The technology also has a disadvantage. It reacts more strongly to contamination. The cooling inlets are again triangular and trimmed to minimalism. In addition there are two periscope like hoods beside the airbox fin, which incidentally also Ferrari customer Sauber has integrated.
The bracket wings and the vertical deflector at the beginning of the side pods have been redesigned. Even the design of the lateral baffles is new. The base of the underbody of the new Ferrari is much later connected to the chassis as on the F14-T. There it met the underbody just behind the front axle.
The rear - Exhaust almost completely closed
The intercooler is placed like last year in the V of the six-cylinder. But the oil tank wandered from the gearbox back to its rightful place between the chassis and tank. With the engine Ferrari has taken the biggest step. The exhaust is better packaged, exhaust lengths were optimized, the tailpipe is thinner, and the turbocharger got bigger. The engineers around Lorenzo Sassi, however, still have something up their sleeve. The turbo at the test was only a temporary solution. It should even get bigger.
At first glance, the airbox runs in profile the same as on the previous car. The difference is seen at the rear. The new engine cover drops significantly lower. The outlet at the end of the engine cover is nestled closer to the exhaust and diffuser roof. But there is still some air between the cover and end pipe.
The rear brake ducts are a work of art with seven stacked wings. Red Bull tag. Also, the diffuser is reminiscent of the Red Bull with its inclined outgoing edges. To the two vertical windows in the rear wing endplates Ferrari has three horizontal strips attached. This gives more stable downforce. Parts of this arrangement have been tested already at the last race in 2014.
Technical Summary for Ferrari SF15-T
Vettel can look forward. And Alonso can be annoyed. Ferrari is obviously better sorted than 2014. The car made a good impression from the first lap. The best times in Jerez were no show times. But Mercedes is still ahead. Aerodynamically the SF15-T is healthy. Now it all depends on what's still coming from the engine. If all goes according to plan, the wish of two GP wins is perhaps not so utopian.
I start to get a bit annoyed by German media only calling it Seb's car.. once okay but all the time?
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Fri Jan 30, 2015 12:24 pm
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