Apparently all of the cars this season currently exceeds the minimum weight of 691kg. Thus it means the use of ballast is completely out of the question. Obviously the taller drivers have a natural disadvantage, Marcus Ericcson for example has discovered he is 8kg heavier then Kobayashi which could cost him a few tenths per lap.
This season there are new static tests for the monocoque, which are now more difficult to pass and costs about 5kg. All of the batteries and energy recovery systems weighed about 25kg last season and this season all of the new systems weighs about 60kg. The power source unit has a minimum weight of 145kg.
Currently Ferrari's unit are about 12kg overweight, however it also appears that Ferrari is the lightest or the least overweight. The turbo casting that shields exploding parts seemed to have helped Ferrari in this regard.
Ten pounds could apparently mean up to 3 tenths per lap. The weight of the car is a place where there will be much room for improvement throughout the season.
Maranello, 12 February – “Go quickly but be careful,” was the imprecation from the chancellor Antonio Ferrer to the coachman Pedro as he urged him through a crowd in the famous Italian novel by Alessandro Manzoni, “Promessi Sposi.” The same caution laced with realism and confidence in his team has characterised Stefano Domenicali’s approach to the coming Formula 1 season. “I am always cautious, not through a fear of saying what I think, but because I am well aware how quickly things change in this sport,” said Scuderia Ferrari’s Team Principal. “In Jerez, we saw the F14 T get off on the right foot, responding well to changes, while the basic data corresponds to the parameters established in the wind tunnel and there were no bad surprises. Clearly there is still much to do because it’s impossible to start with a perfect car in a season featuring so many changes. The start of the championship will be full of unknown quantities and it is far too early to make any sort of prediction. I think we will start to understand a bit more only at the last Bahrain test. My optimism is based on the fact we know which areas need working on: caution is always a good approach, but that doesn’t mean the people working on this project lack the commitment or the will to show our competitors how well we can do things at Ferrari.
“I have to say that what pleased me the most was the attitude of the team,” continued Domenicali. “Everyone is united in tackling the problems and in trying to resolve them, aware that the challenge ahead is both demanding and exciting.”
Since last September, a lot has been said about the Ferrari driver pairing for 2014, which for the first time since 1953, sees two world champions sharing the same red garage. “It was a rational choice, based on the need to have an expert driver pairing, with the one aim of it doing well for Ferrari. I hope the track will show that it was the right choice,” explained Domenicali. “How will we manage them? Decisions are always carefully considered, but they always have the same aim, which is that the sporting decisions are taken to reach the team’s goals, as the interest of the team always comes before all else. Decisions we have taken in the past have always been reached in this spirit.
“I have found a more mature Kimi, more closely knit to the team. He comes to Maranello almost every week to work with the engineers,” added Domenicali. “He knows his worth and he knows what team he has returned to and what challenges he will face, having a world champion like Alonso alongside him for whom he has respect and he will have to adapt to working with him. Fernando is extremely intelligent and has managed to stay ahead in whatever car he has driven. He has an ability to interpret the race and to read it in an amazing way and I think he will make the most of the new regulations, which will require some stages of the race to be managed in a different way. We feel close to him partly because it was such a long time ago that we decided to invest in him.”
2014 is a year of major change for Formula 1 from the technical point of view with the introduction of a brand new type of power train. After the first test in Jerez de la Frontera, influential voices expressed concern for the immediate future of the sport and Domenicali answers them with his usual realism: “In this situation, it’s best not to rush to draw any conclusions, and play into the hands of those scaremongers, as a propensity for self-destruction serves no purpose. Every time there are changes, there are discussions, which is natural. We have only had one test so far when there were never more than four or five cars on track at the same time. Let’s wait until we see all 22 together before saying that everything’s gone wrong. Once a path has been chosen, one has to move forward in a constructive manner. If after a certain period of time we see that an element of excitement is really missing, such as engine noise, then we can see how best to react. Personally, I don’t think this aspect will keep people away from the racetracks. We should be more concerned with the Grand Prix event as a whole and we need to find a strategy to attract youngsters to our sport, which today has a hardcore of fans aged between 35 and 50. We need to get back to having the car seen as an inspirational theme and not just as a means of transport, which adds nothing to our existence. At Ferrari we want to put a lot of effort into this aspect, as shown with initiatives such as getting the public to name the Formula 1 car, or the on-line photo competition, “snap your passion,” which will see four winners come with us to the final test in Bahrain, an initiative that has attracted a lot of attention, especially with youngsters.”
Quote: miezicat wrote in post #437http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/domenicali-cautiously-confident
quoteDomenicali cautiously confident
“I have found a more mature Kimi, more closely knit to the team. He comes to Maranello almost every week to work with the engineers,” added Domenicali. “
I wonder why, in all the English newspapers, the journalists forget to write the whole sentence that it is this: “I have found a more mature Kimi, as all of us.“
quoteSakhir 19 February – After just one day of testing in Bahrain, it’s still difficult to have an idea of a hierarchy in the Formula 1 paddock for this year. So, it’s a given that there is an air of caution within Scuderia Ferrari and Deputy Chief Designer Simone Resta chooses his words carefully. “I think it is still too early to say just how satisfied we are, as we are still learning how the F14 T behaves in various situations and we are trying to gather as much data as possible. One thing we are focusing on at this test is how the new power train is working and its interaction with the driver. Every new component is being watched carefully, such as the brake by wire system and all the software linked to the car, both of which we have worked on a great deal over the past two weeks.”
Therefore, chasing performance has not been on the job list. “That will be the next step,” continued Resta. “Now we just want to rack up the kilometres. The final updates for the Australian Grand Prix will arrive at the next test here in Bahrain and that’s when we will also start trying to get the performance out of the car. Having said that, making a comparison with last year’s car is worthwhile only up to a certain point. Everyone is talking about the engines, but there are two other elements to take into consideration: the new rules mean we have less aerodynamic downforce and the weight of the car has increased.”
One of the current topics is overheating, something several teams are suffering with. Ferrari made the most of the rule changes to go for amajor change, which Resta explained: “ The fact we had to change the power unit allowed us to modify the entire package, on which we have worked very hard, investing a lot. But best not to commit the sin of arrogance in believing we have an advantage.” - See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/resta-w...h.2Hp0vlyV.dpuf
quoteF1 protest threat hangs over Melbourne opener
Feb.21 (GMM) The possible threat of protest is now hanging over next month's season opener in Australia.
We reported a month ago that a dispute was brewing between F1 engine suppliers Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault.
The dispute is about the protective covering on the top of Ferrari's turbo unit, weighing in at a crucial 3 kilograms lighter than the ones fitted on the Mercedes and Ferrari units.
Mercedes and Renault argue that Ferrari's cover needs to be more substantial for safety reasons in the event of a dangerous turbo failure, but Ferrari's explanation was initially accepted by the governing FIA.
Reportedly, Ferrari's setup mitigates the need for a heavier cover because the turbo shuts down at even the slightest sign of failure.
"Mercedes and Renault are not satisfied that the FIA is satisfied," said Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt.
"Either Ferrari builds a stronger cover, or there could be a protest (against the results) in Melbourne," he added.
Another option is also being considered by Renault and Mercedes: copying the Ferrari solution and thereby saving 3 kilograms in crucial car weight.
"The time until homologation on 28 February is however too short," Schmidt explained.
"In the paddock it is now rumoured that Ferrari is strengthening the turbo housing to be on the safe side."
W...my signature says: what is of importance is the road...meaning the road to a target...its from one of our most important poems, called Ithaka, where the poet writes that we must wish that our road to Ithaka must be a long one, full of obstacles and difficulties. otherwise a road is dull, boring..
quoteFerrari starting to understand the F14 T, says Allison Ferrari technical director James Allison says that the Italian team made good progress at the first Bahrain test.
Although Kimi Raikkonen had a crash right at the end of the last day the F14 T ran a lot of laps.
“We came to Sakhir aiming to work steadily through the huge list of actions that we must complete,” Allison told the Ferrari website. “We wanted to maximise track time, working methodically in order to be ready for Melbourne. I have to say that, with the exception of the morning of the third day, we did just that.
“We worked on learning how to get the best from the 2014 clutch and on tuning the new brake by wire system. We looked in detail at balancing the temperature of all the cooling fluids, a key part of this year’s rules, and we began gradually expanding the operating window of the new Energy Recovery System.”
Crucially the team was able to move on from systems checking to actually preparing for races.
“We have been able to start to open up our understanding of the handling characteristics of the car and to begin to learn what sort of set-up parameters the tyres respond to. Continuing with this work will be an important part of the programme over the last four days here in Bahrain.
“For the last four days, our programme will see us attempt to operate the car ever more closely to the way that it will run in a race, providing invaluable practice for the drivers and subjecting the car and all its systems to the full rigour that it will need to withstand throughout the season.”
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Tue Feb 11, 2014 6:53 am
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Now LDM will go ask Kimi: Why didn't you tell me you will be a father?
