Diffuser likely source of Ferrari lacking aero rumor

Ferrari F10 initial debut diffuser

First I would like to point out, that we are not stating this as fact, but rather as a very probable reason based on news from our contacts.

In December of 2009, (though talks must have started earlier) Ferrari hired Giuseppe Azzollini who previously worked for Totyota F1 as senior CFD engineer.

With Toyota departing from F1, Ferrari acquired the services of Giuseppe (who holds a PhD in aerodynamics from the University of Newcastle)  to a similar position at the scuderia.

Our sources suggest, that Azzollini brought along an idea of a new diffuser that was likely being developed at Toyota for use on their 2010 car before the team’s sudden withdrawal from the sport.

This new diffuser featured an even more extreme (on the edge of legality) solution Ferrari had somehow overlooked and one that provided an even greater level of downforce than the current Ferrari design. Suggestions are that the design is similar to that of the new McLaren.

However, by sometime in December of 2009, work on the F10 was already into a deep stage of development.  Incorporating this design would require more than superficial modification to the chassis.

Coincidentally, this was right about the time when Alberto Antonini was working on a piece for Motorsport Aktuell (Alberto Antonini is a respected contributor to F1 publications and the Italian magazine ‘Autosprint’).

It is highly likely, that Antonini interpreted this required design shift through whichever contacts he had as a b-spec car while at the same time suggesting the team was not “satisfied” by the current figures.

This new design, may or may not be present in F1, and might be the source of future “diffuser legality” debates.  McLaren’s diffuser “vent” (upper diffuser structure) has already been spoted and questioned on internet forums and within the paddock.

Ferrari’s pace on the first day of testing must not be taken as full confirmation of speed, but the pace and feedback from Felipe does suggest that the team IS happy (rather than unhappy) with their car ’s performance [Felipe specifically sited downforce improvement] and that simply an even better solution is under development.

Small Edit: From Jame’s Allen’s Blog:

“There have been rumours about the aero figures being poor and a B spec car being prepared. But my sources suggest that what has happened is that they recruited a new head of aerodynamics from Toyota in December and he brought a solution for a radical new diffuser with a hole the size of a sheet of A3 paper! It’s worth a lot in extra downforce and so Ferrari may well be building an update package around it, possibly for the first race if they can build it in time.”

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