Technical analysis: Ferrari SF15-T

Ferrari enters the 2015 Formula 1 season with a new management structure and an all-new approach to its car after last year's management turmoil and poor on-track performance.

Its SF15-T has been designed both to counter the technical problems of 2014, handle the new nose regulations and take advantage of the chance to develop its power unit.

Despite such major changes, the car still bears strong resemblances to its predecessor, though this is belied by the long slender nose.

It may take time to see the real progress under the skin and how the car has improved on track.

The long flat nose has similarities to that seen on the McLaren. There is no attempt to shrink the end back and form a thumb tip.

Yet unlike McLaren, Ferrari's front-wing pylons are quite simple and straight, not twisted to create an aerodynamic wake. Thus in many respects Ferrari has the simplest interpretation of the new nose regulations.

Even where the nose meets the front of the monocoque, rather than a vanity panel blending the nose into the sloped front section of the tub, the tub is instead shaped to form the exterior bodywork. This somewhat ties Ferrari into this nose design and means it cannot easily make major changes mid-season.

More adventurous are the new front wing and endplates, a step on from the simplistic front wing of recent years.

Ferrari's new wing extends the current trend of ever more elements near the outboard tip. No less than eight aerofoil elements make up the outer section of wing, the greatest number seen to date!

This wing also follows the other trends of simpler cascade winglets and straighter vanes forming the endplate. Despite these elements' apparent simplicity, their function of twisting the airflow around the front tyre remains highly influential.

This outwash effect is also aided by what appears to be a return of the blown front axles. Last year Ferrari trialled the hollow front axles designed to have air ducted through them at several races. Although the concept was discarded by mid-season, at the time technical chief James Allison wouldn't confirm they were a dead end and the flat-faced front axles on the SF15-T suggest this is still a valid development path.

For the media and fans, there remains a fascination over whether the front pullrod suspension will be kept on the car, amid a myth developing that some drivers prefer the feel of a pushrod front end over a pullrod version.

In terms of compliance and grip, the suspension-operation method employed makes little difference. Allison confirms the main difference is the aero benefit for a pullrod set-up over the weight saving for a pushrod set-up, as the 2015 Ferrari has retained the pullrod approach.

Elsewhere on the front suspension, Ferrari is following Mercedes' format of a front lower wishbone where the two legs of the V-shaped arm are closer spaced and their profiles overlap to form a conjoined single aerodynamic profile. Still having to clear the pullrod where it enters the monocoque, the Ferrari version of the wishbone is less aggressive and still sports a large open area between the inner ends of the arm.

In terms of suspension geometry, Ferrari has gone for the high-mounted inboard suspension pivots, with the front upper leg attaching right on the top shoulder of the chassis.

Little has been said about the internal layout of the suspension, so it remains unclear whether it's purely a sprung and damped set-up, or still employs complex passive hydraulics.

Aside from the regulatory slope to the front of the monocoque, externally the Ferrari appears similar to last year. The triangular rollhoop inlet feeds the airbox for the turbo and at the moment no other inlets are added to this area, just one small example under the chin of the rollhoop to cool electronics inside the engine bay. However there are some split lines covered up on the launch car and some additional inlets could be added for testing.

This approach is strange as Ferrari has strived to slim the sidepods, while also carrying a larger heat-rejection requirement for the power unit as it is developed to create more power.

Moving the coolers away from the sidepod and having them fed by separate ducts is a good way to reduce sidepod size. Ferrari's sidepods, while neat, are not as compact as perhaps the McLaren's.

Within the sidepod, Ferrari has altered the angle of the radiators and changed the specification of their cores to improve cooling.

The 2014 Ferrari power unit was as disappointing as its chassis. Its layout was compromised to enable better chassis integration, which was to the detriment of its power output.

The petrol engine was some 40bhp down on power, the ERS-H was ineffective in races and the overall unit's driveability was poor.

For 2015 Ferrari's development tokens have been spent in improving these three key areas, but it appears that a wholesale repackaging of the engine hasn't taken place.

In 2014 Ferrari's rear-mounted turbo, which was split to have the MGU-H in between the two turbines of the turbo, fed the engine via a water intercooler mounted inside the 'V' of the engine. This created issues for both power production and the ERS-H.

It's likely the turbo has now been unsplit, moving the MGU-H in front of the turbo and having the compressor and turbine coupled closely together, albeit retaining the V-mounted intercooler.

Aerodynamics at the rear of the car feature some interesting details. The rear wing remains mounted by a single pillar, with the slim support reaching in front of the rear wing and mounting it with a swan neck shape. This pillar also neatly supports the Y100 monkey-seat winglet via a slim, single, central support.

Partially covered up at the launch, the rear-wing endplate features some new louvres, not seen on an F1 rear wing before.

It's been common for the bottom of the rear-wing endplate to feature vertical louvres, but the SF15-T also sports some horizontal louvres ahead of these.

Judging by their shape, they appear to be trying to vent airflow out behind the rear wheels, reducing drag and creating more low pressure behind the diffuser. The diffuser itself was covered off at the launch, but from the overhead shots we can see it expands aggressively outwards as a means to increase its expansion effect within the limited height allowed by the regulations.

In creating the SF15-T Ferrari has been mindful to address the problems of the 2014 chassis and power unit. Its car is a logical and neat evolution of what went before, but there doesn't appear to be a key change or innovation that will create the step change in performance needed to chase Mercedes.

After the technical and management struggles of last year, Ferrari perhaps needs a year of consolidation to get its operation back up towards its pedigree.