(from autosport) Ferrari have become the latest Formula One team to test a shark fin engine cover, with Felipe Massa evaluating the new design on the final afternoon of this week's test at Jerez in Spain. The Maranello-based team had hoped to try out the extended fin on Thursday, but in the end the team waited until this afternoon so as to conduct back-to-back runs with the old and new design over the course of the day. Ferrari's move comes just a fortnight after their main title rivals McLaren evaluated a shark fin design during the pre-Hockenheim test. Although the fins do not create downforce themselves, they do help tidy up airflow to the car's rear wing. Autosport technical consultant Gary Anderson said: "It's another airflow device. If you imagine the airbox, when you're going at high speed - say over 120mph it can't take in all the air that is coming at it. So you get spillage around the sides of the engine cover. "That spillage can affect the rear wing, so you're trying to tidy that up and get it to the rear wing in as uniform condition as possible." Image Unavailable, Please Login
I started a thread a few months ago regarding this. These are the ugliest F1 cars ever.... We need 2009 quickly..., Kevin
I would think that at high speed, the driver would have a real hard time getting the car to steer. They need to reduce the surface area.
One good cross wind like in last week's German run and ............ off at turn 1 might help Massa's superior wet driving though
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW, that thing is ugly and I really hope it doesn't help performance because I don't want to see that on our cars.
That is hideous but if it helps the boys bring home the championship it will be beautiful in my eyes!
i disagree. this kind of thing only stabilise car at high speed. think of jaguar D-type and why it has won 24 heures du mans
Somebody please post pictures of the fin on one or two 121LM models from the mid-1950s. I think the one Peter Sachs owns (or owned) is the best example. Looks pretty darn close! KevFla
I'm not looking forward to seeing this F2008 race... http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/07/29/ferrari-to-use-shark-fin-in-hungary/
