Tech analysis: Ferrari 248 F1

After more than half a decade of dominance, 2005 was a bleak year for Ferrari. The car's aerodynamics, combined with the Bridgestone's tyre wear characteristics, saw the team fall behind their Michelin-shod rivals, who also made a bigger step on their chassis.

In creating their new car with the V8 engine, Ferrari have now returned to an old naming format, based on the engine capacity and number of cylinders - hence the 2.4 litre V8 engine car is named the 248.

This change in naming format also reflects the major redesign of the car, as the new engine is mated to a new chassis, gearbox and sports a radical aerodynamic diffuser.

Development

With the team's failing performance in the 2005 season, it was clear that a step back to focus on the new car was necessary, and at a much earlier stage than usual. Although Rory Byrne is still heading the engineering function, newly titled chief designer Aldo Costa was again in charge of the design of the car.

At the team's car launch this week, the Italian commented that "a radical change from both a mechanical and aerodynamic point of view" was required on the new car. And while development on the car continued, the team ran an updated F2004 with a V8 engine in testing. The car's pace in testing has been surprising, as the chassis is two years old and has only been updated with F2005 aerodynamics.

In detail

Starting with the nose shape - albeit a feature not particularly influential on the car's performance - the nose cone is now much wider and flat topped. The larger nose cone masks what is believed to be a single keel design, carried over from the current run of cars.

Whatever the keel arrangement is, the monocoque has been completely redesigned, "to optimise the weight distribution and lighten the entire structure," according to Costa.

This year, the question marks over how the V8 and tyre changes will affect the car's set-up has lead most designers to free up as much weight as possible to put into ballast, so as to tune the chassis.

The front wing seen so far is similar to the 2005 wing, although this will change as Costa confirmed the "aerodynamics are still at a preliminary stage and will be until the first race of the season".

The front wing's lead back to the bargeboards again mimicks the 2005 car, and the lower of the bargeboards is linked to the floor in an "axe head" set-up. Much will be made of the sidepod shape aping other more successful 2005 cars, but it is in fact a clear development of the F2005 - starting as high as the chassis top and sloping back, both down and inwards to the gearbox fairing.

The winglet and cooling panel/chimney (fitted in unpainted black carbon fibre during its first outing) are detachable, suggesting more development is planned in these areas.

One curiosity is the mirror mounting. Ferrari played with mirror positions in 2005 largely to improve Schumacher's view of the rear tyres to monitor their condition. But technical director Ross Brawn did mention that the alternative layout affected aerodynamics.

The new mirror position places it in line with the chimney and winglet along the shoulder of the sidepod; one assumes this still provides the driver with an adequate view of the road behind him.

Along the flank of the sidepod is a flip-up that, along with most other 2006 designs, is flatter and ends in a slotted flick-up to reduce drag. The exhausts remain tucked deep into the body and appear to exit around halfway down the engine.

In the centre of the car, the engine's air inlets' horseshoe shape is carried over, but it is clearly a much smaller aperture to accommodate the V8. At the rear of the engine cover, there is less of a notch as the fairing over the gearbox is taller.

At the rear, BAR-style twin struts support the rear-wing. This removes the load from the endplates and lower beam wing, allowing the endplate and beam wing to be shaped more creatively and still be light in weight. Consequently, the endplates feature a distinct crease behind the flap, and three slots starting almost at the very front of the endplate.

It is however the diffuser that is most radically different from the opposition, as it sports an unusual three-stage set-up through the central tunnel.

The tunnel walls reach as high as the beam wing and feature two internal horizontal splitters. The duct formed at the top of the diffuser sucks air from the stepped floor, while the next section below sucks from the side tunnels and then there is the usual floor level ramp used to pull air from under the plank.

Using this arrangement, the set-up will prevent low pressure leaking from side channels and the floor, theoretically making each section as efficient as it can be.

Around the diffuser is a new gearbox and rear suspension arrangement, and according to Rory Byrne the gearbox is all-new and is a developed of the carbon-reinforced titanium case concept from the past few seasons.

Ferraris V8

With the engine being developed by Gilles Simon, under the guidance of Paolo Martinelli, the development started back in mid-2004. Subsequently, a V8 engine ran for the first time on the dyno and then on track in August 2005.

In developing the V8, Ferrari's F1 team shared experience in managing the vibrations with their road car division. How useful this was, bearing in mind the very different rotational speeds the engines run at, is debateable.

Initially, these vibrations brought some problems for the team according to Costa, but the team's solid reliability in testing proves these were merely teething troubles.

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- The Autosport.com Team

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