On February 17, the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One team launched their highly anticipated car that drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, will drive in the 2022 season.
Fans all over the world have been beyond excited for the F1-75’s debut. Since September of last year, Ferrari hinted at the car’s progress, including some very confident assertions from the team’s Team Principal Mattia Binotto.
The Launch
The F1-75 was given its name to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Ferrari’s first automobile, the Ferrari 125 S released in 1947.
Binotto called the F1-75 a “brave Ferrari,” adding that they interpreted the rules by thinking outside the box. The car has a red and black livery, reminiscent of early 1990’s Ferraris.
Ferrari’s Head of Chassis Enrico Cardile stated that the team took an “innovative approach” to Formula One’s groundbreaking new regulations this season and highlighted that improving aerodynamics was most definitely the team’s number one priority.
After finishing third in the 2021 championship, Binotto wants the F1-75 to be the car that sends Ferrari back to the top of the grid. After numerous seasons of floundering in the middle of the pack, once again, Ferrari wants to demonstrate they are a team worthy of being in Formula One. While that may sound like a daunting task for 2022, Binotto appears to be confident in his ability to meet it.
“I would like the F1-75 to be the car that allows our fans to once again be proud of Ferrari,” Binotto said. “Our goal is to reignite the Prancing Horse legend and we can only do that by winning again. That will require a fast car and two great drivers and we have them.”
Notable Innovations on the F1-75
The feature that has Formula One fans talking about the most are the atypical side pods which are wide but thin and have a strange depression on the top which reportedly is designed to provide the best possible aerodynamic performance.
The Ferrari designers chose a side pod configuration that has a gentle downward inclination in the lower areas but an upward ramp where the sidepods merge into the engine cover and a scalloped-out part in that transition. It has cooling slats on the side pod top surface, just like the Aston Martin.
The upward contour of the upper bodywork above the sidepod clearly suggests that the radiators are practically horizontally laid out, with cooling tunnels flowing upwards over the engine cam covers, similar to last year’s Williams.
On the front wing, the nose has a significant hollowed-out area beneath it which will lower air pressure and thus increase downforce.
The “curvy” Ferrari appears to be useful in extracting heat from the power unit, which should roar with 1,000 horsepower this year to challenge Mercedes and Honda in the engine battle.
Ferrari’s Chief Project Engineer Fabio Montecchi said, “with no reference points available from previous seasons, what makes the difference is the creativity and talent of each designer, the excellence of our analysis tools, the lucidity, and courage to choose the most promising solution, even if it’s not the most conventional.”
Leclerc & Sainz’s Reactions
As the car for this season looks quite different from what the drivers are used to, Leclerc and Sainz are eager to get started.
“I think it looks aggressive, it looks radical, and also beautiful. I just hope it’s fast,” commented Sainz. “It’s different, it’s thinking outside the box.”
“It’s like seeing the girl/boy you like for the first time, butterflies in your stomach,” said Leclerc. “I am kissing her for the first time tomorrow.”
On February 18, they ran the F1-75 in a 15-kilometer demonstration run in Fiorano, followed by a 100-kilometer run in Barcelona scheduled for February 22 before pre-season testing.
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