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Paolo Martinelli is a main player in the
Ferrari F1 team. As head of Ferrari's engine department since 1995 his job is very
important to the team. Paolo has worked on all the engines Ferrari have used since the
arrival of Michael Schumacher.
"Evolution is continuous in Formula 1 we have to work on performance parameters and
on reliability at the same time." Says Martinelli.
So how do Ferrari create and develop the engines that power the cars to victory in many
Grand Prix's?
"Every year the engines improve because we always start out with a completely new
car, which means we also completely redesign the engine. That allows us to introduce quite
radical modifications to the engine architecture itself.
We usually start designing a new engine around about the middle of the season so that we
are ready to bench test the new unit by the end of the year. During the first few months
of the following year, we test the engine on the track so that we are ready in time for
the start of the new season.
During the year modifications are introduced on the new engine in programmed steps. These
normally occur in three stages, and we refer to the versions with the letters A, B and C.
Naturally enough though, during the year we also introduce a lot of other modifications
designed to suit specific circuits.
In the same way the team's engineers research a specific aerodynamics package for
different races that perhaps are run two weeks one after the other like for example
Hockenheim and this weekend's race at Budapest the engine department comes up with the
ideal compromise between outright performance and torque curves for every track and works
continuously to improve reliability.
The B version is usually out for the first European races, while the C version is ready by
the end of August. This timing can, however, be adjusted depending on the race calendar
and of course on the way the championship is going.
In addition the introduction of a new version also depends on the areas in which there are
margins for improvement. On the basis of what happens on the track, we concentrate more on
performance or on reliability, but another important factor is the progress made in new
technologies during the year - this can also influence the direction of development."
And that is how the Ferrari team work on their engines throughout the year. |
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