Ferrari Unveils the F1 2008 Formula 1 Car
2 April 2008 · posted by Staff
Ferrari has taken the wraps off what will be
undoubtedly the car to beat in the 2008 Formula One World Championship, the
Ferrari F2008 to be driven by Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, starting with
the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 16 March 2008.
Rule changes for the new season aimed at making
the racing even more exciting and putting more emphasis on driving skills
has seen some of the technology removed from all cars for 2008. The
elimination of traction control is probably the most obvious change, one
that even the reigning Formula One Champion, Kimi Raikkonen has to work hard
to adjust to.
“We have already tested the new system before
Christmas,” says Raikkonen. “There is no traction control anymore. And we
have to adapt to this fact, which is quite something. There are also other
control systems missing, which we were still using during the last year. But
we are really satisfied with the new car and its modifications. The cockpit
of the F2008 is tighter and also the car is smaller. We have to be ready for
these changes. Will I have more fun without the traction control? It will be
much more complex to drive, that’s for sure. Especially on wet tracks. But
it will be also much more fun!”
So who does the World Champion expect to provide
the biggest challenge to Ferrari in 2008?
“McLaren will be there for sure. And then
there’s BMW. It will be a difficult year. It’s my
second year at Ferrari. I can feel that everything is going really well. I
know the people I am working with and I really like the team. We will
definitely try to win the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship again,”
says Raikkonen.
Raikkonen’s team mate, Felipe Massa, says that
watching the covers come off the new car was like watching a baby been born,
a boy, of course!
“The first impression of the car is that it is
really beautiful,” says Felipe. “Just like every other Ferrari. But that is
not enough. The looks are important, but the performance and the reliability
are even more important. The team has to work to make the car immediately
fast and reliable. We have to do some more work on it before the first race
and we want to check its performance before we make any further comments!”
Like Raikkonen, Massa has to adapt to technology
changes in the car.
“It really is different now,” explains Massa.
“You have to take care of the accelerator; even more than of the brakes. The
driving style has to be softer and less aggressive. I don’t think that my
experience in other cars without traction control will be an advantage. The
V8 is more aggressive and difficult than the V10. When you are driving under
these conditions you want more stability and grip and you try to drive more
aggressively and closer to the limit.”
“When there’s less grip you can use the tyres
much better. That is really important, as there is no traction control
anymore.”
As far as the new qualifying rules are
concerned, Massa says:
“To be honest I think that absolutely nothing
will change here; we won’t have 3-4 laps to use the old tyres. We’ll start
with new sets of tyres and with the right amount of fuel to get the right
lap time. Almost nothing will change for me here.”
The technical changes run very deep in the new
car and some are in preparation for new rules in 2009.
“All the aerodynamic surfaces have been
completely updated,” explains Aldo Costa, Ferrari Technical Director. “The
body is more concave, the engine cover has a different profile to improve
the efficiency and resolve some problems we had on circuits such as Monte
Carlo, Hungary and Canada. We’ve also done some major work on the
electronics and the control systems. This year we have to use an integrated
central system and an MES (Mechanics and
Electronics System). Thus we had to review the electronic layout of the car
and try to figure it out without any help from the drivers, such as the
traction control and some other controls. We’ve been working a lot on the
gearbox, which has to be used for four races in a row this year. We changed
the dimension to improve its lifetime; but we’ve worked also on the
suspension, to improve the lifetime of the whole car.”
The Unification of the engine and electronics
management is not just an improvement for 2008, it also prepares the car for
new rules in 2009 that include energy storage and reuse systems, as Gilles
Simon, Head of Engines and Electronics explained
“This new system is already looking ahead to the
year 2009, when we will develop a kinetic system to reuse the energy
produced by the car. This will take up a lot of our time this year. To
combine the two departments is an obvious thing to do. We will do many test
sessions inside and outside of the works. This is already the second year
that we are not allowed to further develop the engines. From March 2008 on
the engine will be completed and approved. What we have actually done is
concentrated our work on everything that is sitting above the cylinders;
such as the inlets and also on the improvement of the lubrication. We also
developed a new kind of fuel over the last winter in collaboration with
Shell. The rules of 2008 set a limit of 5.75% of bio-components in the fuel.
We’ll use the biofuel already at the tests in Jerez next week.
For the 2008 season Ferrari will have a new team
structure, with changes starting right at the top, with Jean Todt, the man
who guided the team to its most successful period, stepping down. As Mario
Almondo, Director of Operations, explained, it does not matter how fast the
car is, if it is not matched by an equal level of team organisation
“Well, in the world of High-Tech my role is
quite traditional. At Ferrari that means working on technical things, which
are not part of the planning, such as logistics and strategic planning of
works and investments, managing the race tracks and the buying, technical,
technological and quantitative development of our partners. And then there’s
the management of the A1 GP, which will start with a collaboration by
Ferrari in the next year. For us the start of this Championship is a great
business opportunity and the possibility to consolidate our brand in the Far
East.”
The Ferrari F2008 in detail
The design, codenamed internally as the 659, represents the Scuderia’s
interpretation of the regulations in force in 2008. A major new element of
these is the introduction of a new electronic system to be used by all
teams, known as SECU (Standard Electronic Control
Unit) and produced by MES (McLaren Electronic
Systems.) It consists of a single control unit and a software system, the
development of which ends as the season begins. Other areas affected by rule
changes are: gearbox, which must be used for four consecutive events;
safety, with the introduction of higher side protection around the driver’s
helmet; materials, with a limit to the type of composites that can be used.
As a result of these rules, there has been an increase in the weight of the
car. All aerodynamic surfaces have been completely revised, however the
current version will be replaced by a completely different configuration in
time for the first race. In fact, an intensive and all encompassing
development programme is planned to run throughout the season. The
monococque has been further cut away under the driver’s legs and the side
pods and engine cover are more tapered. The suspension system has been
reworked and developed around the new aerodynamics.
The wheelbase and weight distribution have been
adapted to meet the challenge of the new regulations and on the basis of
lessons learned last year in terms of the performance of the Bridgestone
tyres. Changes to the technical and sporting regulations in terms of
electronics, alongside the introduction of the SECU,
have led to the removal of a host of a driver aids, such as traction control
and engine breaking and the electronically assosted starting system, and
also mean that management of the differential, engine and gearchange are
much simpler. The gearbox casing is produced in carbon, while the
transmission continues to be mounted longitudinally. For the second
consecutive year the gearchange is fitted with a quick shift system, adapted
to the SECU software and further speeded up. In
dealing with the reliability aspect of the new regulations, Shell has played
a key role in defining the lubricants for the gearbox. The braking system
has been updated with new callipers and innovative concepts regarding
cooling.
The 056 engine is mounted longitudinally and
continues as a load bearing element. Its basic structure remains unchanged
compared to the unit homologated at the start of last season, while its
auxiliary systems, air and fuel intakes have been further developed. The
technical regulations also call for the use of fuel corresponding to
European Union norms, with a content of components derived from biological
sources equal to 5.75%. As usual, during the design and development stages
of the entire car, our technical partners played an important role. Apart
from previously mentioned significant input from Shell , also worthy of note
is the contribution of the Fiat Research Centre, especially in providing
simulation systems and Brembo for its work in developing the braking system.
As is now traditional, a great deal of attention was paid to the performance
and optimising of the materials used at the design stage and through quality
control, striving to maximise performance levels while attaining the highest
possible safety standards.
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
Chassis: Carbon-fibre and honeycomb; composite
structure
Ferrari longitudinal gearbox; Limited-slip
differential
Semiautomatic sequential electronically
controlled gearbox quick-shift
Number of gears: 7 + Reverse
Ventilated carbon-fibre disc brakes
Independent suspension, push-rod activated
torsion springs front and rear
Weight (with water, lubricant and driver): 605
kg
BBS Wheels (front and
rear): 13’‘
Engine
Type: 056
Number of cylinders: 8
Cylinder block in cast aluminium: V 90°
Number of valves: 32
Pneumatic distribution
Total displacement: 2398 cc
Piston bore: 98 mm
Weight: >95 kg
Magneti Marelli digital electronic injection
Magneti Marelli static electronic ignition
Fuel: Shell V-Power ULG
64
Lubricant: Shell SL-1098
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