Technical News : Ferrari Innovation

Ferrari F2008 - vented nosecone assembly

During this week's test in Barcelona, Ferrari have introduced a dramatic new aerodynamic modification to the F2008's nosecone. An opening underneath the nose has been matched with two vents - one semicircular, the other similar in style to a NACA duct - on the top of the chassis (see inset) to create a conduit for air to flow through. This revision eases the passage of air under the crowded nosecone area (see blue arrow), thus reducing drag and minimising the turbulence of the airflow directed towards the F2008's sidepods. With a more aerodynamically-balanced car at their disposal, Ferrari hope to improve not just their performance over a single lap, but also their race pace, as both tyre wear and fuel consumption

2008 trends - traction control ban and tyre gases

This became a hot topic last year, since part of the information at the heart of the McLaren 'spy scandal' was supposedly related to Ferrari's use of a particular mixture of inert gases, in particular CO2, to inflate their tyres. This year almost all teams are experimenting with different blends of gases (air, nitrogen and CO2 are all permitted) in a bid to negate the negative impact of the ban on traction control and engine braking control. The removal of these systems means more wheelspin at the rear and more locking up under braking at the front, which in turn leads to more sudden variations in tyre surface temperature. These sudden variations make it more difficult to keep tyre pressures constant - crucial to the car's handling - hence teams are seeking the gas blend whose pressure is the least sensitive to temperature changes