Ferrari technicians rise to the challenge “Revolution for victory”

Aldo Costa and Nicolas Tombazis have a clear conscience: the technical director and chief designer have thought long and hard about the F10, revolutionizing all that could be revolutionized after the disappointing experience of the F60. But they admit that the unease that always accompanies the launch of a new racing car is this year further complicated by uncertainties about the rules. “The tires have changed in terms of structure, mix and size but we just have four test sessions to experiment and adapt them to the single-seater," explained Costa. In addition to this we have regulations that despite all efforts have obscure corners and grey areas. “We were put in a very unpleasant position last year and we still think that the double diffuser is illegal. Maybe the saga will just carry on." What he meant was that someone may cunningly turn up at the start of the season with solutions that their opponents would then be forced to challenge. Tombazis admitted that, “The double diffuser allows a lot of room for experimentation and this is what worries us."

But as Montezemolo said the 2009 championship went badly because the car wasn’t competitive enough and the decision to stop its development only served to worsen its performance. “It was painful for us to watch as we lost something in terms of performance at every qualifying session," revealed Costa. But we still believe we made the right decision to concentrate on the development of the new car."

rear — It was an almost obligatory decision as Tombazis made clear: “The size of our gearbox meant that we were unable to modify the rear diffuser very much, while with the F10 we completely reviewed the gearbox and suspension so as to design a larger and hopefully more competitive diffuser. But not only that: to improve the airflow to the car’s main body, we’ve raised its nose and modified the lower part of the chassis. Because of the bigger fuel tank we had to deal with a longer and wider chassis. We have worked a lot in the aero department to try to exploit and widen the diffuser, making it more efficient, improving the airflow under the car, and therefore the down force." However the abolition of refueling will also affect pit-stops. “We've tried to make it easier to change tires," admitted Costa, which explains the adoption of a different wheel nut.

engine — As we’ll need to finish our races, it will be vital to use less fuel than other teams. “It’s a new challenge for us," admitted Luca Marmorini, returned to Ferrari after a long period at Toyota. “It’s true that I said that as the engines couldn’t be modified, I was less interested in this year’s F.I championship. But Ferrari is Ferrari. I couldn’t say no. As to consumption, we worked with lubricant and fuel suppliers and also modified the exhausts. I am satisfied with this series of operations. However it is clear that lower consumption also means careful on-track management. We have two expert drivers to help us with this."

danger — The president demanded a winning car. But what if the F10 hasn’t overcome the handicaps of last season? Costa and Tombazis are not fixating overly on the outcome. The Greek designer explained: “I totally agree with the president that we need to win again and we believe that we've done a good job to this end but we’re not talking about football. The game is longer and more complex. Also, working while worrying about what might happen, doesn’t help anyone to focus properly." La Gazzetta dello Sport