Ferrari unveils the F2007
When Ferrari unveils a new road car, it's big news. Slightly less so when the Prancing Horse takes the wraps off the next season's F1 race car; the strict FIA regulations pretty much have Formula One designers' and engineers' jewels in a vice, so each new car is by and large the same as the old one, with slight modifications. The devil is in the details on this red screamer – don't expect some groundbreaking innovation like a third set of wheels or a vacuum-powered ground-effects system.
Ferrari took the wraps off the F2007, its fifty-third F1 car, at a press conference Sunday in Maranello. Although some details will be tweaked before and throughout the season, this is fundamentally the car which Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa will be driving in pursuit of the 2007 driver's and constructor's championship. Visibly the car looks mostly the same as the 2006-spec 248 it replaces. The suspension was redone primarily for aerodynamic efficiency; the side-pods were reshaped to accommodate the new cooling system; the air intake atop the car was changed; the rear end of the car is narrower thanks to the revised carbon fiber gearbox housing; and the entire car rides on a longer wheelbase. In meeting 2007 safety requirements, the weight of the car is up nearly ten kilograms over the 248.
More after the jump.
After sponsors Vodaphone left for McLaren, Italia Telecom stepped up their sponsorship with Alice, their broadband internet company whose logo appears on the new car that gives up some white in favor of more red. Otherwise, Marlboro stays on as title sponsor, Shell picks up a bit of Vodaphone's slack, while Martini and other minor sponsors stay with the team for the 2007 season.
Like all F1 cars, it's built around a carbon fiber tub to which all the components, from the suspension to the engine, are mounted. FIA regulations restrict engine development, so the 056 engine used last year carries over with few modifications: the combustion chamber, valves, and inlet and exhaust chambers were changed to optimize the torque curve; the pistons were redesigned for reliability at the 19,000 rpm redline and the cooling systems were reconfigured. The 32-valve aluminum V8 is mounted longitudinally as a stressed member of the chassis, hooked up to a seven-speed paddle-shifted transmission.
2007 should be an interesting season for Scuderia Ferrari as they step into the post-Schumacher era, the top team management changes around, Felipe Massa steps out of the champion's shadow and Kimi Raikonnen throws off the shackles of a prohibitively underperforming car.
[Source: Ferrari via Italiaspeed]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Auto Blogs, Automotive News and More 11:21AM (1/15/2007)
That is one nice looking ride!
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Braden 11:47AM (1/15/2007)
19,000 RPM?
Can anyone educate me as to why F1 cars have to spin so freaking high? Isn't there some point of diminishing returns with RPM, after which cranking it higher isn't doing much other than speeding wear on components?
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Da Breaks 2:51PM (1/15/2007)
Looks like a penis.
Paint the nose like a condom, after all its a sports car: 2008 DUREX Ferrari.
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Jaguar 11:51AM (1/15/2007)
Higher RPM's = more power.
since the displacement is fixed, and FI is banned, the best way to increase power is to increase revs.
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ViktorVaughan 11:58AM (1/15/2007)
Longevity is only a concern as long as the engine completes the minimum number of practices/qualifications/races as set by the FIA rules.
The faster the engine can run, the more it can combust and more power it makes, since displacement and number of cylinders are limited.
>>19,000 RPM?
>>
>>Can anyone educate me as to why F1 cars have to spin >>so freaking high? Isn't there some point of >>diminishing returns with RPM, after which cranking it >>higher isn't doing much other than speeding wear on >>components?
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Saab analyst 2:50PM (1/15/2007)
"Can anyone educate me as to why F1 cars have to spin so freaking high?"
Because engine rules are VERY VERY strict, higher rev was basicly only way to go and now even that is blocked to 19K, during last season rev was sometimes already over 20K.
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Fooman 3:09PM (1/16/2007)
lol a 3rd set of wheels.... oh wait...
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/17/video-six-wheel-fun-in-f1-car/
fan in a f1 car... your funny... oh wait....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brabham_BT46
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Phil L. 3:50PM (1/15/2007)
Here's the basic F1 engine spec (at least for 2006):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_engines#2006
With everyone limited to the same basic configuration of 2.4l V8, the way to make more power than the competition is to spin faster.
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Luis Longo 8:34PM (1/15/2007)
Hm, Looks like the guys at Marlboro really like the Schumi Halo effect...
Marlboro no longer the leading ad.
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Chris 9:27PM (1/15/2007)
I think that Marlboro's sponsorship status is more a reflection of the new laws prohibiting tobacco advertisement in sporting events in the majority of countries they race in. (I can't remember if they were even shown in Dubai or China)
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Mike 10:21PM (1/15/2007)
"Looks like a penis"
You must have a weird looking penis if that's what you think one looks like. LOL
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Chuck 6:50PM (1/16/2007)
Go Kimi!
2.4 V8 needs to spin to 19k for power.
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The Stig 1:33AM (1/17/2007)
FIA passed a rule that restricts cigarette brands on the cars. I think they also passed one that cuts all sponsors with tobacco companies due to effect in a year or two but Im not sure
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Phred 6:42AM (1/16/2007)
About RPM:
The way to get more power is to burn more fuel (per unit of time). There are two ways to do this:
The easier one is more fuel in each combustion - bigger displacement - but, as mentioned, that is restricted by FIA.
The other way is more (small) combustions per time - higher RPM.
Hence, a 2.4 liter F1 engine at 19,000 RPM can (hypothetically) burn as much fuel in a second as a production engine with 3 times the displacement (7.2 liters) and 1/3 the speed (about 6,333 RPM).
Also proportional is a 5.87L NASCAR engine at 7768 RPM, and NASCAR engines are indeed similar to F1 engines in power output (around 750 HP).
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