Very interesting, hadn't seen this before i posted. They have certainly flattened out the rear which will allow much better airflow over the top and will reduce drag, the whole aero package looks much more complex (albeit we're comparing pre season 2014 to 2015, i imaging a lot of what is shown there is basically later spec 2014 aero) Interestingly, i think where the cockpit is gives the biggest hint exactly how they achieve the lower rear, they have moved the tub forward and therefore everything behind it is forward too. The proof of this is the sidepods are also a good bit further forward on this years car so clearly the rads and coolers are too. They will have had to design a new gearbox casing to make up the difference but this will allow them free space of leftover bodywork to bend down over the innards. That should also shift the cars weight ballast forward.and make the car want to bite more initially into corners. The trade off is that after the initial bite, it could be more understeery. Also note the front suspension is VERY different, still pullrod but look at the upper wisbone, it is much more simple in design and mounted lower. The rear of the wishbones are also mounted much further forward making the whole setup tighter. Then the lower wishbones are much, much more complex. Not only is it clear the geometry is totally different, but the driver is physically closer the wheel which will help the feel of what the front is doing. To be fair, that shows promise. Still looks fat though!
Good post, Cento. You've gone into some detail about the general move forwards of many components. As you suggest, if this is a genuine shift, rather than an impression borne from photos, it will tend to give more 'bite' at the front end. However, it will only become 'more understeery' if it eats front tyres and/or drivers overdo their braking such that they lock up the front (thus negating the extra grip there), since more bite at the front end is the exact opposite of a tendency to understeer.
Ferrari have lost more credibility IMO with their statement that the target is 2 wins for the season. 2 wins!? With a 4x WDC on board and the biggest budget in F1!?
The car is clearly set up for Kimi this season which will be make or break. Lets be honest these are dark times for the scuderia.
Arrivabene saying they wont be competing until 2016-2017 seasons that's how bad it is for them atm. Going to be a long rebuild after the clusterfuck Luca and his crew left behind. No way will Ferrari be challenging in 2016 if they are serious in getting 2 wins this season, unless they're already intent to completely ignore this year and make it into an expensive real life dyno "team bonding year" only. They are now effectively just doing testing sessions at every GP rather than fighting for podiums. I wouldn't be surprised if they will bring a b & c-spec ferrari during the whole season at this rate. It's what McLaren did back in 2009 when they majorly ****ed up the car...
The above comment seems crazy now. I wonder if Arrivabene was bluffing when he said what he said, or if they've genuinely progressed much faster than expected. Apparently Ferrari are spending a few engine tokens and bringing an upgraded package to Montreal, reportedly worth 20-30bhp (not a bad track to bring it). If all goes well that should bring them right into play. I'm not sure if Mercedes are planning an upgrade between now and then but they have fewer tokens left so it's an area Ferrari should be able to catch up on throughout the season.
The engine upgrades could be make or break for this season, Ferrari need a little bit more grunt all round.
Yeah Mercedes engine still has the legs on them as evident with Rosberg and Bottas were showing against Ferrari. It's like they have this engine mode called: 'bitch please' when ever they need it. Ferrari need the chassis and PU upgrade badly!
Guessing that's Vettel testing a new nose at Fiorano? The old one looks better but it's performance that counts. Presumably that's why they only had one spare nose in Hungary.
Good job it was for marketing and promotional work. Imagine if a team ever did any proper secret testing.............
Looks pretty similar to the concept that Mercedes use. There was talk during pre season testing that Ferrari would eventually move to the shorter nose when they could get it to work, looks like they've finally cracked it. Could change the aero balance of the car quite significantly as it should be much easier for air to get underneath the car to generate downforce from the floor.
Is that all legit? (Not fan made?) Looks like a nice refining of the car if so, like Mercedes did for this seasons car so it will make interesting comparisons going forward into the second half of the season! It is an identical nose is it not? Hope it bridges the gap but you suspect Merc have a half second up their sleeve in their engine modes if they wish, so it's whether Ferrari can match them.
You've made me seriously question it now. In all details except the nose the pictures are identical as far as I can see. Vettel's not that consistent, surely?
I'd almost certainly say fan made, seems they accidentally photoshopped out the barge board (although it looks odd in both pics)
Would seem a little odd to have such a major upgrade but only run at a promo event where you can't do loads of aero load tests and not even any flow vis paint on the car, a change that big would 100% require serious checking to see if it was really worth it. Also, unlikely to be at Fiorano as the kerbs there are yellow and red, rather than white and red and Ferrari would use Fiorano for a PR stunt
Just overlaid the two and the only thing that change is the nose. Even the wear on the tyres is identical in both pics.
