Monday, January 18th, 2010 | Posted by Osorio M

F1: Ferrari’s concerns for 2010

Shell and Ferrari are working hard these last weeks to solve the inflection point represented by the weight-fuel ratio: “It’s true that this year fuel consumption is essential, not only with relation to the engine but to the race’s strategy. We’re working very hard with Shell and are on the right track to solve it, but it will of course be another clear sport fighting area, “Domenicali said.
The thing is that it’s a terrible problem, because with this year’s new norm, less consumption gives you the option to design a gigantic tank this year but a bit smaller that the rivals’, and the design of the new tank is adapted to the single-seated chassis’ development.
There are less than 15 days for the presentation and for Massa to try the Ferrari out in Cheste. There, the result will have to be seen. In addition, it’s well known in the F1 that the Mercedes’ engine uses around 10 liters less than the rest.
In the past, consumption was not so relevant, but now that the cars cannot rest and you race out with all the fuel that’s possible, the less consumption engine will cover the same distance with less kilos of fuel, . Now, 10 kilos, either be it of tank size mass or of gas, usually mean three or four tenths of advantage in time per lap.
Under this premise, from the moment the race starts, lap to lap, the single-seated with less consumption can have a very significant initial advantage. This is the reason why Ferrari has devoted itself to solve this concern, substituting a Gilles Simon for Luca Marmorini, who returns to the team with the target of trying to reduce this extra weight in 10 or a 15%.
Once this problem has been overcome, there’s still the limitation of the frozen engines by regulation since the 2008 season. Ferrari’s improvements are limited. A difficulty is that the inlet manifolds can be touched, the exhausts a bit, liquids, electronics, but not the engine’s block.
“The first goal for the new car is to gain reliability. With this purpose we have developed a simulation program and of engine power of which we expect great results to lessen the problems experimented the last two years,” Domenicali declared.
In the Schumacher era, Ferrari did not damage one single propellant for several years, and the only one it did in Japan in 2006, caused Schumacher to loose the title, precisely against Alonso. The Renault R25 and R26 of the Spaniard turned the propellant’s reliability into one of the clues to win titles. This will be the season’s technical clue, as Fernando Alonso himself confessed.

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