Changes taking place at Ferrari after serious aerodynamics mistake

this and a potential for more??..

Carol


f1live

Ferrari has parted company with its head of aerodynamics and wind tunnel John Iley, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Wednesday.

The specialist newspaper said it is the relative lack of competitiveness of this year's F60 that moved the famous Maranello team to act and that other key staff changes cannot be ruled out.

The Italian publication claims a 'serious' mistake in the area of the aerodynamics has been identified as the root of the 2009 car's problems.

Iley, 41, who joined Ferrari from Renault in 2004, reportedly reached an agreement with the team after the German Grand Prix for an immediate departure.

It has been agreed that he will not join a rival team for at least six months, but is already being linked with a return to working with former Ferrari Technical Director Ross Brawn.

Iley's responsibilities for the time being have been taken over by Nicholas Tombazis.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

 

So are they going to change the problem? Or stick with no more updates to the current car?
If they are going to change it then Happy days!!! Hopeful for a big improvement.

 

Ironically this should mean my cousin will now be in line for a position in the Gestione Sportiva; he was already accepted into the GS but had to wait for a position to open in the aero dept so if everyone moves up one he'll be the low man now.

 

You can't be competitive unless you can get the car right. Now they can fix the problem.

 

A problem that most likely could have been identified earlier but for testing limitations.

 

Its just like when the Old Man was alive... now the heads will roll... nobody will feel secure, and the car and team will suffer... the Italian media will keep making its self felt... its back to the 70's!

 

The F60 sucks. That should be enough to warrant insecurity.

 

I hope this does not upset development of next years car. The Scuderia has had enough distraction with the political circus this year. If they're not careful we'll end up with another uncompetitive car.

 

I hope you are not correct, but the potential is there.

 

All this time to find out what was the problem ? i don't think it's that simple.

 

What are the chances he does go to Brawn and then has great success? I've got to question whether this is just a cosmetic move at Ferrari.

 

Another Ferrari that suffered from aerodynamic failure was the F92, in 1992, Ivan Capelli and Gerhard Berger were that years drivers. The next season, Gerhard Berger drove to 1st place at Hockenheim in the German Gran Prix, a pole to pole victory.

 

Hey, what does that Brawn guy know anyway?

 

They probably found out they had the diffuser on backwards...

 

Is Rory Byrne long gone too?

 

It may well be that the aero problem was only found when the new design was begun. If so, all to the better.

 

Looking at the 2009 field, my gut instinct is that the regs have a "serious aerodynamic problem".

This year's cars look like paint scrapers.

 

+1

While I'm happy to see heads roll at Ferrari for the disastrous season, the fish normally starts stinking at the top. And that top is all Italian, courtesy of LdM.

I have no idea what this aero chief designer did wrong, but to me the real reason for the F60's uncompetitiveness doesn't lie in an aerodynamic detail but in its concept: It is a car optimized for KERS AND it is missing the Superdiffuser. THOSE two crucial decisions probably came from a higher level. Somebody high up chose the wrong development path.

 

Lets hope Ari Vatanen gets the job then.

 

I hope so.

 

Or upside down..

 

It´s not such a big change. I think that Nick Tombazis was already higher in the scale. And this make sense with the rumors that say that they´re hiring people from Brawn and Red Bull.

 

In 1992 Ferrari competed with the F92A. Drivers were Ivan Capelli and Jean Alesi (not Gerhard Berger). I believe for the final two races, Capelli was replaced with Nicola Larini who drove a F92A with active suspension, dubbed F92AT. The next season, Ferrari went without a win. Ferrari did however, win the German GP in 1994, indeed with Berger. 1995 was again a year with only one win, Alesi at Canada. Then in 1996, Schumacher scored three wins in his first year for the Scuderia.

 

[Kimi/Massa on team radio:] I dont know but eh, the rear end gets REALLY light above 150K, what the hell man!



Andreas, they STILL haven't got a superdiffuser? I thought we where getting that 3-4 races ago?!

 

It takes more than designing one ans slapping it on to the chassis. First with Ferrari still running KERS it hurts the internal packaging. Second part of the Double Deck design is the shape of the gearbox. Third the overall aero shape of the car plays into the design and efficiency of the diffuser. Even with CFD, Wind tunnel testing you really don't get the full view of what it is going to do on the track until you test it. Something as simple as front wing profile or end plate design can create a vortex under the car that can negate the new part.