Car Commentary - Ferrari F60

On January 12, 2009, the first of the new 2009-spec F1 cars was launched. In a small gathering at the Mugello Circuit in Italy, Scuderia Ferrari launched the F60. This car was named in order to commemorate Ferrari's involvement in F1 for 60 years, the only team never to have missed a Grand Prix. 

On first glance, Ferrari seemed to have developed a real minger. The car was unlike any seen in F1 before it. It has a slightly shorter wheelbase than the F2008, but a lengthened and more streamlined nose. Combined with the large front wing and the smaller rear wing, this made the car look rather unproportional. However, when looking closer, Ferrari has made a thing of beauty (yet again). The nose is pointy because it reduces drag, something that is much more important now with the downforce restrictions. The front wing, while looking rather simple at first, is actually full of intricate and beautiful curves, positioned to strategically move air around the car to where it is needed. Even the endplates are quite advanced in their design. The front wing supports are mounted further back than normal, but this allows them to be longer, and therefore provide a bit more of a turning vane effect.

Moving to the midsection, there are several interesting aspects. Most obvious is Ferrari's insistence with the outboard mirrors. However, due to current regulations, they could not use their traditional sidepod mounted mirrors. Instead, they have come up with an ingenious method of mounting the mirrors on vanes, connected directly to the underfloor. Not only does this provide the mirror support, but it also acts like the sidepod shields that were introduced last year by BMW Sauber, and subsequently copied by several teams.  These should help sort out the airflow around the sidepods and its interaction with the rear wheels and wing.

The sidepods themselves incorporate some unique elements. Most noticeable is the extended lip at the top of the sidepod where they attach to the fuselage. Nicholas Tombazis, chief designer at the Scuderia, states that they are purely for aerodynamic benefits. I suppose this should help keep the flow attached as it proceeds back towards the rear wing. There is also an additional cooling intake at the bottom lip of the sidepod. No confirmation from Ferrari as to what these are for, but judging by their location, it seems likely they are involved in keeping the KERS cool.

The rear of the Ferrari is pretty standard. The sidepods taper in a bit more steeply than on previous iterations, probably to make the airflow to the rear wing more laminar. Ferrari is sticking to periscope exhausts on the F60, though I'm not exactly sure if they are entirely legal as of yet. The exhaust, combined with the hot air exiting out of the rear body work, should help to extract air out of the diffuser and make it more efficient and reduce drag. Ferrari has had to be a bit more careful in positioning the rear suspension in order to shield it from the effects of this very hot exhaust, and to conform to the rules and keep all components covered by the body.

Though straying quite a bit from F1 cars of years past, I think this Ferrari does have a certain simplistic beauty to it. It is reminiscent of the cars from the early 90's, except without the wider track. As an unabashed Tifoso, I am hoping this car is successful and puts a lot more red onto podiums this year!