Ferrari bringing new exhausts to Valencia

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Ferrari will debut a new exhaust configuration in the European Grand Prix this weekend.

It is likely the layout is influenced by Red Bull’s exhaust-driven diffuser configuration, which is credited with helping the RB6 achieve high levels of downforce.

According to Ferrari:

The most significant feature is a new configuration for the exhaust system, aimed at improving the aerodynamic efficiency of the car. There will also be additional aero updates to the rear end of the car. However, these changes are just the first in a series of improvements to the F10 which will roll out over what is a very busy part of the season.

The revised aerodynamics parts have already been tested as the team used one of their allocated straight-line testing days:

Part of this phase of development included an aero test, when Scuderia test driver Marc Gene was at the wheel for one day last week at Vairano.

With the Valencia street circuit sharing some characteristics with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the team are expecting a similarly good performance:

Although Valencia requires slightly higher downforce levels than the Canadian venue, it is similar in having some high speed sections mixed in with stop-start corners, yet again making good traction and braking two priorities on the car set-up sheet.

Therefore there is every chance that the F10 could display the same degree of competitiveness that it showed a fortnight ago across the Atlantic.

Meanwhile former McLaren chief Pat Fry has joined Ferrari.

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    Keith Collantine
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    15 comments on “Ferrari bringing new exhausts to Valencia”

    1. Mclarn are bringing this to silverstone

    2. TheGreatCornholio
      22nd June 2010, 11:24

      I’m not a Ferrari fan as the combination of Schumacher and Ferrari winning every week in occasionally dubious circumstances drove me away from F1 til 2007. However, the thought of Ferrari getting in the mix with McLaren and Red Bull is making extremely excited for the rest of the year!:) It’d be great for the sport too

      1. Its one thing to bring it to a race but its something else to make it work properly. Look at the teams trying to apply McLarens F-duct system, they just lost alots of valuable time on it and didnt get it to work very well. However i do think that RB exhaust system gives alot more speed then F-duct system so even if it is incorrectly setup, it will still give some advantage.

        1. That is true Armin, but in Valencia the don’t have the big aero dependence yet, so in a way Ferrari can use it as a test for this configuration without to much risk. Of course they will hope it works wonders and helps Alonso to the win, but it is not as crucial as at Silverstone.

          1. Tbh i dont think that even in Valencia nor Silverstone will Ferrari pose any threat to RBR and McL. This is due to they were so far behind in Turkey, Canada was not test of their real pace since top runners were most of the race looking after the tyres. Hopefully this upgrade will move them closer to RBR and McL real race pace where they are pushing like hell. It lookes like its going to be an interesting championship.

    3. I hope their update works as they want it to bring both Massa and Alonso right to the front of the pack. It would be amazing if Massa could make it a 3 times Brazillian winner and sixth winner of the year.
      And Alonso winning at home will give the local fans something to cheer at and repay them for coming to an otherwise not so great event.

      But i fear it will take some time to get the most out of this update. Still Alonso could do the same as Kimi in 2007, winning the first race and clinching the WDC in the end.

    4. Internetf1Fan
      22nd June 2010, 13:08

      Ferrari doesn’t seem to have any ideas and are just rushing to copy everyone left and right.

      First with the F-duct and now with the exhausts.

      McLaren seem to be the only one who know what they’re doing. They run assymetrical exhausts, they’er the only of the few to not run a RBR style nose, etc.

      1. not to sound stupied but what do the assymetrical exhausts actually do? that normal ones don’t?

      2. What about Merc?

        This isn’t any different from any other season. Top teams (almost) always are the ones to lead the design race with the lower teams playing a constant game of catch up.

        Right now Red Bull and McLaren are on top, So it’s only natural for other teams to look at their solutions and try to implement them.

        1. Well Mercedes does have some ideas of its own (airbox), just the rest of the car is not really the tool they hoped for.

          I am pretty sure they are raking up the simulator miles on next years car by now to get a better effort. With Brawn and Schumi in the development they should bring something usable.

          Ferrari needs some new ideas instead of copying from others.

    5. Hang on, if I remember right Ferrari have an odd engine/exhaust set up on the F10. If I remember right the engine is tilted a few degrees forward, allowing the exhasts to exit a lot further forward on the tops of the side pods than most other cars. The rationale for this was apparently to give the team more room to optimise their double decker diffuser and to save weight with shorter exhuast pipes.

      I am assuming that with this new exhaust arrangement will fundamentally alter this set up and will, at the very least, add a few extra kilograms to the car, meaning that ferrari will have less ballast to play around with when trying to optimise the set up.

      Any thoughts?

    6. Asymetrical exhausts? One outlet hole is bigger than the other, the small one handles engine gas only, the big one acts as an escape route for other hot gases as well as engine gases too.

    7. If anyone’s interested, here’s a comparison pic of the new spec Ferrari at a filming day:

      http://f1around.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/ferrari-adota-escapamento-inovador-da-red-bull-foto/

      1. Nice one, thanks Tom!

      2. Thanks, good to see it compared.

        The Red Bull looks so amazingly tight from that comparison!

        And from those pictures, it looks like Ferrari maybe is bringing a pull rod suspension.

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