Exhausts could be key in F1 this year

Nikolas Tombazis

Ferrari chief designer Nikolas Tombazis believes development of the exhaust systems could be a key factor in this year's title battle.

Last season Formula One banned exhaust blown diffusers and extreme engine mapping, however, that didn't stop teams from finding other ways to regain lost performance.

One such solution is the Coanda exhaust, which directs hot gasses towards the diffuser in order to improve the car's performance.

And with teams always on the look-out for new solutions, Tombazis believes development of the exhaust system could be a key area this season.

"With the exhaust exits we can reckon on updates during the season and while the differences might not be visible, they could offer a significant margin for improvement," he said.

"Of course, we won't be the only ones working on this area, the others will too.

"Bit by bit, as the regulations stay the same for longer, the room for invention decreases, but with the exhausts there is still much that can be done.

"Furthermore, as great improvements in simulation tools come along, this produces better correlation of data and of the methodology of the various configurations that are tested.

"This means that testing new parts and comparing developments over a race weekend will become more complicated, whereas during testing, this can be done more calmly and extensively.

"We need to find a way to do this without compromising other tasks such as set-up work and analyzing the behavior of the tires." PlanetF1