For the 1992 season, Scuderia Ferrari entrusted its two main drivers, the Frenchman Jean Alesi and the newly arrived Italian Ivan Capelli, with the new Ferrari F92A. This car, which would go down in history as one of the worst ever built by the Maranello team, shared no components with the previous 640 series, which had been the starting point for new Ferrari single-seaters since 1989 but was now technically outdated and unable to keep pace with the performance of McLaren and Williams. Under the direction of Claudio Lombardi, the Italian team decided to entrust the confirmed engineers Jean Claude Migeot and Steve Nichols with the creation of a completely new-concept single-seater. The chassis, engine, gearbox, and suspension were all completely redesigned, aiming to maximize chassis efficiency with a unique aerodynamic configuration desired by Migeot, who, thanks to his background as an aeronautical engineer, borrowed some solutions used in military jets, such as oval-shaped side pod air intakes separated from the car body to minimize the negative effects of the "boundary layer", the area close to a solid surface where air speed is zero.
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| FERRARI F92A, Jean Alesi Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1992 |
At the front, the French engineer reintroduced some solutions he had previously used at Tyrrell, making the F92A the first Ferrari to feature a raised nose connected to the front wing with two parallel pillars, replacing the classic sloping profile used on earlier 640 series cars. However, the most significant innovation was the so-called “double floor,” aimed at recreating downforce levels comparable to those of ground-effect cars. The car featured the standard flat floor mandated by the technical regulations, but parallel to it, another floor was installed, creating a series of channels designed to generate significant ground effect. Even the rear section of the bodywork, which typically tapered toward the gearbox, was modified to adopt a squarer shape.
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| FERRARI F92A, Jean Alesi Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1992 |
Mechanically, the new F92A used traditional double-wishbone suspension with push-rod architecture and torsion bars. At the rear, a classic pair of dampers was used, while at the front there was a single damper positioned above the pedal box. The new Tipo 40 engine, developed by engineer Paolo Massai, used the traditional V12 layout with a 65° bank angle and retained the five valves per cylinder configuration, but without the pneumatic valve return system, instead using conventional springs, considered more reliable. However, this system prevented the engine from exceeding 14,800 rpm, as spring return becomes ineffective beyond that point, leading to delayed valve closure. To ensure reliability, the engine’s maximum power output was reduced by over 35 hp compared to its predecessor. The new power unit was paired with a classic semi-automatic gearbox, though it featured only 6 gears instead of the 7 used in the 640 series.
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| FERRARI F92A, Ivan Capelli Magny-Cours, French GP 1992 |
Once taken to the track, the car was immediately found to be conceptually flawed, particularly in the suspension system, which failed to maintain the ideal ride height to optimize the function of the double floor. At high speeds, the floor’s flexibility made the car virtually undrivable due to constant fluctuations in downforce. The choice of a bulkier car body to increase the efficiency of this solution, at the cost of sacrificing the rear diffuser area, forced engineers to use a higher-downforce rear wing to maintain minimal stability. This severely worsened the drag coefficient, which was already poor due to the enormous aerodynamic resistance generated by the double floor. Combined with the engine's lack of power, the F92A became one of the slowest cars in the field in terms of top speed, to the point that the BMS-Dallara cars powered by the 1991 Ferrari engine were often faster than the Maranello-built cars. Starting from the Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari tried to fix the disastrous F92A by introducing an evolved version called “AT,” which reintroduced the seven-speed gearbox, a new front suspension, and a slightly upgraded and more powerful version of the V12 engine. However, none of these updates improved performance, and for the second consecutive year, Ferrari failed to achieve a single win or pole position.
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| FERRARI F92A, Jean Alesi Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexican GP 1992 |
The most notable results were two third-place finishes in Spain and Canada, both by Alesi, while his teammate Capelli only scored two points finishes: fifth in Brazil and sixth in Hungary. He was replaced in the last two races of the season by third driver Nicola Larini, who did not score points but tested a prototype of the active suspension system developed in Maranello, at the cost of an additional 30 kg in weight. Scuderia Ferrari finished the 1992 season with a total of 21 points, less than half the amount achieved in 1991, placing fourth in the Constructors' Championship.
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