Alonso reveals F150 challenger (Merged)

Ferrari's new car has been launched. The car comes with a new logo and livery.

There have been a lot of extreme rumours regarding this car and I hope some of them are true.

I don't expect to see any major innovations until the final pre season test (so as rivals do not have enough time to copy it)

Launch is 9AM GMT - so should have started already.

 

lol I asked what time in another thread then it was explained here... =/ cheers jose.

will we get some images posted up here?

 

Yeah, posting some new. Car sure looks beautiful!

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http://ferrarif150.com/ for the live launch guys

 

Italian flag on the rear wing!

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Its on!

 

Interview with Aldo Costa

There are many changes regarding the regulations for 2011. Which are the ones with the major impact on the F150 project?
The major aspects with the most impact on the project were connected to the aerodynamic development. The car will change a lot. The double diffuser, the F-duct, is gone. The driver can’t change the car’s aerodynamic set up anymore. The underbody won’t have any ‘holes’ in the central part anymore. This is a fundamental change. The rear wing will be movable, so that the driver can overtake the car in front of him and use it in the qualifying according to his needs. The KERS is back. Although we’ve improved its size, it’s still quite big. Therefore the technicians had to redesign the car’s layout. There are also new safety rules. We participated in the changes the Federation made to improve safety on the track, which is always extremely important.

Would you say that this car is more of an evolution or a revolution compared to last year’s single-seater?
Due to the new rules the car should be a proper cut compared to the previous one, with new concepts and lines of development. As far as the looks are concerned the rules keep them quite unaltered. The cars look like the ones from last year, but from a technical point of view they will be really different.

How will the F150 as we see her here today will evolve over the next weeks?
The car’s evolution has been planned with two big stages: one during the winter tests, where we will mainly develop the area of the mechanics, which means that the car’s structure, the chassis, the gearbox and the suspension will remain the same for the first couple of races. The aerodynamics is simplified and temporary for the first tests, waiting for the real aerodynamic development for the first race.

According to you, which were the most demanding challenges regarding this project?
Starting from scratch with the car’s rear, because the double diffuser and the F-duct are gone and there have been some clarifications regarding the car’s underbody: these were the main challenges and why we had to start from scratch rethinking the whole project.

This year there is a new provider regarding the tyres: to what extent are the Pirelli tyres still a question mark.
The project and the evolution of these tyres happened in a very short time frame: Pirelli had only a couple of months to develop the tyres. I think they’ve done some really good work, but there’s still a lot to do. We have to test several compounds, while we are already in a good and reliable condition as far as the tyres’ construction is concerned. There’s still a lot to do and it’s a very important issue. We have to use the winter tests as good as we can to set up the Pirelli tyres.

How do you get ready for the debut on the track?
The structure and the method have progressively changed over the last years at Ferrari: we were used to many miles on the track. But now we only have 4 days in February. There is no time to resolve fundamental problems as far as the car’s reliability is concerned. Therefore this work has to be done on the test stand. That’s why at the moment we’re testing the car’s substructure on the test stand, checking its functionality and weariness, so that we can go on the track with a reliable car.

Personally, do you feel obliged to win?
A short question needs a short answer. One word is enough: Yes.

 

Interview with Nikolas Tombazis

When did you start thinking about the project of the F150?
We started when the previous car touched the ground. That was in late January last year. We put some basic ideas together, started talking about the new regulations and how they would influence the main parts and we set up a programme in the wind tunnel to examine the new regulations.

Which were the most important parts in this challenge?
This project had several important challenges, because the regulations are quite different from last year’s. We had to reintroduce the KERS in the car. We’ve learned a lot about the KERS two years ago. But now we’ve got a new package, so the installation wasn’t the same. We had to think about that a lot. Another challenge was the mobile rear wing. This is one of the novelties in Formula 1 this year. So we had to plan a wing, which doesn’t influence the performance when it’s shut in its normal configuration, but which gives us the highest possible reduction regarding CD, which means highest possible speed on the straights during the qualifying or while overtaking. This was a very important project. A third challenge war the introduction of new tyres. When you change tyres you also have to change several aspects of the car, regarding weight distribution, suspension between front and rear, but also some aerodynamic aspects. Because the Pirelli tyres are new, we’ve got lots of work. This is almost less important thinking about the aerodynamic aspect: this year we can’t use a double diffuser. So we had to set a very ambitious goal: gaining the performance we lost without the double diffuser.

Which are the most innovative characteristics of the F150?
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.

Personally, as the planner, would you like to have more freedom during the planning phase?
Yes. It would be nice having some more freedom and more time. The regulations are more and more restrictive, but there is a reason for that. Otherwise the cars’ performances would be too high and maybe even the costs for Formula 1 would be higher than they are today. It would be very nice having more technical freedom to create even more sophisticated systems for the car. It would also be nice to have more time available between one season and the next, to work not in such a rush on some aspects of the car.

Do you think you reached the target, which has been set for this project?
We think we did. We set targets we think are very ambitious regarding the development in the wind tunnel, the car’s weight and the performance of some sub-systems. We think, based on our analysis, that we’ve reached these targets. Especially for the car for the first race. Having said that, the regulations are new and it’s impossible to know exactly where our competitors stand. I’m convinced that also they set themselves some ambitious targets. I’m confident in what we’ve done, but as long as we don’t see the cars on the grid for the first race, it’s a little bit difficult to answer this question.

A last question: do you feel obliged to win this year?
At Ferrari this is almost an obligation we have every year. And every year is the same. This is a stimulating pressure, but it never gives you a moment of rest in the work we have to do.

 

Ferrari F150 Technical Specs

Chasis: Carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Gearbox: Ferrari longitudinal gearbox
Differential: Limited-slip differential
Command: Semiautomatic sequential electronically controlled gearbox – quick shift
Number of gears: 7 +Reverse
Brakes: Brembo ventilated carbon-fibre disc brakes
Suspension: Independent suspension, push-rod activated torsion springs front and rear
Weight with water, lubricant and driver: 640 kg
BBS Wheels (front and rear): 13”

 

Looks good, but at this moment in time it is all cosmetic we wont know how it performs or doesn't until racing gets well and truly underway, wonder if they will sandbag testing? or go flat out to show the opposition just what they have to beat? my guess is they will play their cards very close to their chests and play a cunning sly fox game then blitz them all from Bahrain onwards, well here's hoping.

 

Ferrari F10/ F150 Comparision:

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what im most surprised about is the nose. after 2009 the Red bull style sculpted nose was the way to go and was even evident on the F10. But this year the 2011 contender for Ferrari is more of a flat and straight nose. Interesting

 

F150: Description

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.

 

Took me a while to realise, but it has the 2010 front wing on the car.

Hopefully this means they will bring a more radical package to Bahrain.

 

Another thing I found interesting is the airbox.

The “blade” roll stucture that Mercedes used last year is now banned. Obviously, it must have had some positive effect on the car (otherwise Mercedes would not have used it for most of the season.

Ferrari's 2011 airbox looks half-way between the conventional intake and what Mercedes used last year. Still legal - and very clever.

 

The rear wing looks the same too. I saw a leaked artical on the F150 but the artists impression was well out. Unless these interesting parts he drew will end up on the car before bahrain

 

Wow, so much info on the F150 already!

I really like the Italian flag on the rear wing, i hope they keep it when the season starts

 

I agree, the "Tricolore" looks fantastic!

Welcome to the forum F1Juan!

 

Are they keeping it though Jose? They should i think as they are basically the italian national team!

 

personally I dont like it. THe livery is very bland this season, and the car looks bare.

The Pirelli logos on the tyres look stupid.

The flag looks out of place.

However, hopefully it'll help produce some good racing. By being so slow that the McLarens always pass it. haha. but in seriousness its not my favourite car ever launched.