Presentations 2018: An Aggressive and Sharpened Ferrari
Just like Mercedes, Ferrari unveiled its SF71-H yesterday during a ceremony broadcast on its official website. A brief overview of the technical innovations of this new single-seater.
The 2018 Ferrari is quite an advanced evolution of its predecessor with a few new elements to note.
First of all, at the end of the single-seater, the nose features openings on the sides similar to the 2017 McLaren. This allows, in a different way compared to the Sauber for example, to feed the underside of the car with clean air, which provides stability. The cape device from the 2017 Mercedes has been implemented while being different as it is less flat and follows the openings with a slight upward inclination (see photo 2 below).
There are a lot of interesting features to discover on the new Ferrari SF71-H. Check out all the details -> AMuS gallery: https://t.co/3ZthJ1kQMI pic.twitter.com/RdxPwfkiBQ
— Tobi Grüner 🏁 (@tgruener) 22 février 2018
As expected, the wheelbase of this new Ferrari has been slightly extended to better suit fast corners without completely abandoning its philosophy, which is different from Mercedes.
On the other hand, the SF71-H has not been reworked at the front suspension level, which has not been raised like on most other single-seaters.
As we move further back on the Ferrari, we can notice that the bargeboards have undergone slight modifications with elements more radically separated, certainly to optimize the airflow in this area (see photo 4 below).
(8) Más fotos del Ferrari. El más agresivo d todos. Siguen con concepto q les permitió ser los mejores en algunos circuitos pero ahora con distancia ejes mayor. Apuesta ganadora. Me gusta, mucho. pic.twitter.com/o7jB81t3XT
— Albert Fabrega ES (@AlbertFabrega) 22 février 2018
Just behind, it is easily noticeable that the side-pods, which almost all teams have copied, are now split into two with inlets that are very narrow, similar to those on the Red Bull, Mercedes, and Sauber. This is likely intended to better cool the internal parts of the car (see photo 3 by Tobi Gruner).
As is now mandatory, the new Scuderia machine is equipped with a halo painted red with the Ferrari logo. But what’s interesting is that it features a small winglet on top for aerodynamic and cooling reasons towards the air intake above the drivers’ heads (see photo below).
Halo wing pic.twitter.com/t0dGkec4rv
— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) 22 février 2018
Like the Red Bull, the Renault, and the Mercedes, the engine cover is very compact and tight, ending with a very fine Coca-Cola bottle shape. This confirms that the teams are not excessively worried about insufficient cooling of the power units, which will need to be particularly reliable this season (see photo below).
(6) Trabajo d empaquetamiento en lamzona del motor y cambio sin llegar a nivel d Mercedes o Red Bull. Ala d T baja o no tan baja… Doble. soporte d cisne para ala posterior. pic.twitter.com/iZmmGE6Rnq
— Albert Fabrega ES (@AlbertFabrega) 22 février 2018
Finally, it is quite surprising to note that the men from Maranello have chosen to attach a T-wing to the lower part of the engine cover, thus being the only team to have made this choice. To conclude, be aware that the car is equipped with a double support pillar for the rear wing (see photo above).
