FERRARI 150° ITALIA

   For the 2011 season, Ferrari produced the new 150° Italia, the fifty-seventh Formula 1 car to emerge from the Maranello factory in the province of Modena. The new Ferrari was unveiled on 26 January 2011 in the presence of Giorgio Napolitano, then President of the Italian Republic, as the name 150° Italia was intended as a tribute to the 150th anniversary of Italian unification. The design of the car had to accommodate the significant regulatory changes introduced for 2011, including the abolition of the F-Duct and double diffuser, the introduction of the Drag Reduction System (DRS) rear wing, the return of KERS and the switch to new Pirelli tyres. As a result, aerodynamics became the decisive factor in the car's performance. However, the 150° Italia was initially conceived with an overly conservative design philosophy compared with the more aggressive approach adopted by its main rivals, above all the Red Bull RB7.

FERRARI 150° ITALIA, Fernando Alonso
Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 2011

   Despite its new high, slender nose, Ferrari's aerodynamicists were unable to replicate the effectiveness of the Red Bull and McLaren nose designs in channelling the maximum possible amount of air beneath the chassis and towards the underbody. The car's basic architecture restricted the airflow reaching the rear of the car and the rear diffuser, reducing the generation of "clean" aerodynamic downforce (that is, downforce produced without creating excessive drag by increasing the angle of attack of the wings). To compensate for the limited airflow beneath the chassis, numerous front-wing configurations were developed throughout the season, together with increasingly complex bargeboards and flow diverters, but the fundamental characteristics of the chassis continued to constrain the car's overall aerodynamic efficiency. One of Ferrari's most serious problems in 2011 was the lack of correlation between simulation data and track performance. An incorrect calibration of the Maranello wind-tunnel instrumentation, discovered only after several races, had resulted in solutions being approved that subsequently proved disappointing on track and delivered less performance than expected. This forced the team to revert frequently to previous specifications or, temporarily, to make use of Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne. The 150° Italia also began the season with a conceptual deficit in another crucial area: exhaust-blown diffusers. Ferrari started the year with a conventional exhaust layout, considerably less advanced than the blown-exhaust system and extreme engine mapping developed by Red Bull. It was only from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards that Ferrari introduced substantial modifications to the bodywork and rear floor in order to direct the hot exhaust gases more effectively into the diffuser. However, the car's aerodynamic response remained highly sensitive to changes in engine operating conditions. When the FIA temporarily banned the extreme off-throttle engine mappings at the British Grand Prix, the aerodynamic gap between Ferrari and Red Bull was suddenly eliminated, allowing the 150° Italia to dominate the race. The lack of aerodynamic downforce also had a direct impact on the use of the new Pirelli tyres. Over a single qualifying lap, the car struggled to put sufficient energy into the front tyres, leading to frequent understeer and excessively low operating temperatures. In race conditions, however, with a full fuel load, the aerodynamic balance improved slightly, allowing the drivers to maintain a competitive pace even when they frequently started from the second or third rows.

FERRARI 150° ITALIA, Felipe Massa
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP 2011

   The mechanical architecture of the Ferrari 150° Italia was designed to meet the sweeping regulatory changes introduced for 2011, which also raised the minimum weight to 640 kg and revised the permitted weight distribution, with the front axle required to account for between 45.5 and 46.5 per cent of the total. While Red Bull continued to set the benchmark with its rear pull-rod suspension, Ferrari chose to retain a push-rod layout at both the front and rear. Although this solution was considered easier to set up, it resulted in greater mechanical packaging requirements around the upper section of the gearbox and differential, restricting the designers' freedom to shape the rear bodywork and optimise the airflow towards the diffuser. During the season, the suspension geometry was modified to address the difficulty of bringing the harder Pirelli compounds up to operating temperature and to contain excessive tyre degradation. Changes to the suspension members altered camber recovery characteristics and helped reduce the tendency towards understeer on corner entry. At least in terms of reliability, the 150° Italia had few weaknesses, thanks to the proven and highly dependable Tipo 056 V8 engine, integrated with the new KERS hardware. The batteries were positioned in the lower section of the monocoque, beneath the fuel tank, improving mass centralisation while also lowering the car's centre of gravity. The transmission was another strength, particularly in terms of compactness and torsional rigidity. Its gearbox casing was constructed from composite material, with titanium components used internally to house the gear trains. The rear section of the gearbox casing was shaped to integrate with the rear impact structure, or crash box, while also allowing the exhaust ducts to pass through towards the floor. The hydraulically actuated, controlled-slip limited-slip differential was optimised to provide maximum traction when accelerating out of slow corners. The braking system was developed jointly with Brembo, with particular attention paid to cooling the front calipers. Specially shaped air ducts were used to transfer heat towards the wheels, supplied by BBS, and assist in bringing the front tyres up to temperature during the out-lap.

FERRARI 150° ITALIA, Felipe Massa
Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 2011 

   The Scuderia Ferrari technical staff underwent a period of profound transition during the 2011 season, with major changes at the top of the technical organisation introduced during the championship in an attempt to close the performance gap to Red Bull. The Gestione Sportiva remained under the leadership of Stefano Domenicali, the Team Principal for the fourth consecutive year, as he sought to reorganise the team's strategic management following the controversial 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Aldo Costa, the Technical Director, headed the technical department and was responsible for the overall conception and development of the car. Design and aerodynamics were overseen by Nikolas Tombazis, the Chief Designer, supported by Marco De Luca, Head of Aerodynamics, Corrado Iotti, Deputy Head of Aerodynamics, and Simone Fenili, Chief Aerodynamicist. Marco Fainello coordinated the vehicle-design engineers as Head of Vehicle Engineering, while Tiziano Battistini headed the chassis-design group. Simone Resta was responsible for research and development as Head of R&D. The power-unit department was headed by Luca Marmorini, Engine and Electronics Director, a key figure in ensuring the reliability of the Tipo 056 V8 and integrating the KERS system, assisted by Guido di Paola, Engine Chief Designer. The race-engineering operation was led by Andrea Stella for two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso, while Rob Smedley was responsible for Felipe Massa. The disappointing results from the opening four Grands Prix, combined with the team's difficulties in generating aerodynamic downforce, triggered a major internal restructuring in May 2011. On 24 May, Ferrari officially announced that Aldo Costa was stepping down as Technical Director. He would subsequently leave the team completely at the end of the year before joining Mercedes, where he would play an important role during the team's highly successful hybrid-era cycle. The Technical Directorate was no longer placed in the hands of a single engineer, but instead divided into three operational areas among senior figures already within the organisation. Chassis development was entrusted to Pat Fry, formerly of McLaren and recruited only a few months earlier. Fry introduced working methods influenced by the British school of Formula 1 engineering and pushed for a restructuring of Ferrari's wind-tunnel operation. Car design and development remained under Tombazis, while the engine department continued to be led by Marmorini.

FERRARI 150° ITALIA, Fernando Alonso
Monza, Italian GP 2011 

   Throughout the season, the Ferrari 150° Italia proved to be a solid long-distance race car, but one limited in terms of outright performance. Its dynamic behaviour differed noticeably between Saturday qualifying and Sunday's race. The lack of pure aerodynamic downforce, combined with the difficulty of bringing the Pirelli tyres up to temperature over a single lap, prevented either driver from regularly challenging for the very top positions in qualifying. Alonso reached the front row only once and the second row once, while Massa managed just one second-row start. With a full fuel load and the tyres settled into their operating window, however, the car was better able to manage tyre wear and allowed Alonso to close the gap to the leaders through aggressive race strategies and strong race pace. The Spaniard scored no fewer than ten podium finishes, including Ferrari's only victory of the season at Silverstone. The disappointing 2011 campaign ended with Ferrari scoring 375 points and finishing third in the Constructors' Championship. Among the drivers, only Alonso was able to remain consistently involved in the battle with the Red Bull and McLaren drivers, eventually finishing fourth in the World Championship.