F14-T- Development & News

[Nero Horse]

Ted beating down on Ferrari again saying we will be third fastest in qualifying in Austrailia and in the race we ll fall down the order to tenth place with our fuel saving during the race with all the merc in the top spot...

I don't care what they say, let them talk what they want. The only thing that will tell the real truth is the reality, next weekend in Australia when the lights go green in qualifying and in the race. All these expert opinions are just that...opinions.

[gvera]

I wonder why none of these experts has mentioned the fact that the high top speed and slow lap time could just be due to trying different gear ratios. Lower numerical gear ratios will give you a good top end if the motor has the grunt but will lose time in slower sections. Could be that simple, but everyone seems to be suggesting season ending problems. Also I struggle to see how some of the other complaints make sense. If our engine is too aggressive, maybe that is the cause of the lack of traction and tire degradation? then we turn down the boost, save fuel and tires. I'm sure this is a mapping issue but I don't think the car can be bad in all of these areas.

Remember this year the gear ratios are fixed for the entire season, you have to use the same ones in Monaco and Monza, so all cars should be using ratios that allow maximum speed in the longest straight.

[Winter]

Remember this year the gear ratios are fixed for the entire season, you have to use the same ones in Monaco and Monza, so all cars should be using ratios that allow maximum speed in the longest straight.

I think gear ratios may be changed once during the season.

[SS454]

Remember this year the gear ratios are fixed for the entire season, you have to use the same ones in Monaco and Monza, so all cars should be using ratios that allow maximum speed in the longest straight.

I believe the rules do not permit changing the diff gear, so the cars will still be geared to the given track, just not optimized for each corner like before. I did just learn the teams are running 8 speed gear boxes this year. Crazy. I wonder how many will use 8th as an overdrive.

[Hornet]

Remember this year the gear ratios are fixed for the entire season, you have to use the same ones in Monaco and Monza, so all cars should be using ratios that allow maximum speed in the longest straight.

I don't think so. Most track favors acceleration over max top speed. Track like Monza is the odd one out and will be sacrificed in favor of a better balance between top speed and acceleration.

[Nova]

Dont fool yourselfs and count anyone out..we've only had a few tests..to count out anyone
including RB and Reno is silly. They probably have their issues sorted.

[bondilad]

I don't care what they say, let them talk what they want. The only thing that will tell the real truth is the reality, next weekend in Australia when the lights go green in qualifying and in the race. All these expert opinions are just that...opinions.

Exactly. No one knows. I also think the safety car might be used more often in the first few races so we might be able to save fuel going behind it.

[Silent Bob]

Remember this year the gear ratios are fixed for the entire season, you have to use the same ones in Monaco and Monza, so all cars should be using ratios that allow maximum speed in the longest straight.

Exactly. So it would make sensor to try different gear sets and compare acceleration and top speeds between them to determine the best compromise overall. That top speed wasn't down to wing angles or low downforce... it was either the car at max power or high final gearing.

[ntukza]

From Autosport:
"Domenicalli just said to an italian tv what any wise fan already realized from testing:"

Hahaha what a joke. The only reason Stefano would not get fired for saying this is if it's an internal ploy to disguise an otherwise positive team situation. No team principal in their right mind would speak these words if they were true.

[Kingdom Hearts]

Ted beating down on Ferrari again saying we will be third fastest in qualifying in Austrailia and in the race we ll fall down the order to tenth place with our fuel saving during the race with all the merc in the top spot...

Ignore the british press, they hate Ferrari and Alonso.

[DIEK]

Someone of McLaren has told someone of Sky TV they are surprised by the high consumption of Mercedes engine...

[Rob]

Someone of McLaren has told someone of Sky TV they are surprised by the high consumption of Mercedes engine...

ssssh the media isnt really saying that as Merc/Merc engine teams are the favs for WDC WCC.

[FerrariF60]

Someone of McLaren has told someone of Sky TV they are surprised by the high consumption of Mercedes engine...

hopefully it's true and the Mercedes engine is thirstier then the Ferrari....although these are all rumors and NO one knows for sure which one is has the least consumption...

only the engine manufacturers know exactly and they won't divulge the truth

[Winter]

I believe the rules do not permit changing the diff gear, so the cars will still be geared to the given track, just not optimized for each corner like before. I did just learn the teams are running 8 speed gear boxes this year. Crazy. I wonder how many will use 8th as an overdrive.

If I understund right this text " (for 2014 only teams may re-nominate ratios once)" from F1 offical, gear ratios may be changed once during season 2014.

[LF1Torsion]

If I understund right this text " (for 2014 only teams may re-nominate ratios once)" from F1 offical, gear ratios may be changed once during season 2014.

Yes this is correct. All teams have one joker in this regard - i.e. they can change the ratios without any penalty.

[Kiwi Nick]

Yes this is correct. All teams have one joker in this regard - i.e. they can change the ratios without any penalty.

But, I assume that they cannot change back to the original, without that counting as their second change.

I see lots of room for monkey business in these rules/penalties. Teams will be weighing whether to take a penalty to get better performance if they qualify poorly, or crash in quali. Would it be advantageous to start from the pit lane at Monza or Spa, or Montreal, etc. if it meant you got better gearing? It looks like it could be quite confusing or not confusing at all. We'll have to see how things sort themselves out.

Seems to me that Monza could be a real problem for any car that uses too much fuel, since there is so much time spent at full throttle. I'm sure there are other tracks that would also be problems.

[SS454]

The rules seem to suggest they are talking about the gear ratios of the gear box. The pinion gear in the differential is completely different and acts as a multiplier to the gear box ratios. I am not certain, but it seems they still can change the rear gear, which would make sense. It's kind of like having a Corvette 6 speed, and changing the pinion gear to suit the track.

[Zytes]

The rules seem to suggest they are talking about the gear ratios of the gear box. The pinion gear in the differential is completely different and acts as a multiplier to the gear box ratios. I am not certain, but it seems they still can change the rear gear, which would make sense. It's kind of like having a Corvette 6 speed, and changing the pinion gear to suit the track.

If I am correct in reading this from the Formula 1 site, the teams will not be allowed to change the rear gear (More than one time) without penalty...

"9.6 Gear ratios :
9.6.1 The number of forward gear ratios must be 8.
9.6.2 Each competitor must nominate the forward gear ratios (calculated from engine crankshaft to drive shafts) to be employed within their gearbox. These nominations must be declared to the FIA technical delegate at or before the first Event of the Championship. For 2014 only a competitor may re-nominate these ratios once within the Championship season, in which case the original nomination becomes immediately void. Ratio re-nominations must be declared as a set.

Source:http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/ru.../8710/fia.html

[Kiwi Nick]

So, does this suggest that the final drive ratio may be raised or lowered by swapping pinion rings in the diff?

[bluesilhouettes]

Merc has tried McLaren rear suspension solution in wind tunnel but they said that it produce too much drag.

[Jas]

Merc has tried McLaren rear suspension solution in wind tunnel but they said that it produce too much drag.

Source?

[gvera]

So, does this suggest that the final drive ratio may be raised or lowered by swapping pinion rings in the diff?

I think they mean the opposite. As the ratios are measured in the driveshaft, the diff is included.
With eight gears and the flat torque it won't be a problem.

[bobi_ve]

.....it seems that the latest Prancing Horse is close to a second off the pace of the Mercedes and around seven-tenths slower than the Williams.

Source!

[Nero Horse]

.....it seems that the latest Prancing Horse is close to a second off the pace of the Mercedes and around seven-tenths slower than the Williams.

Source!

No! Just no

Why even write such sensationalist crap? I don't get it.

[ManFromMilan]

Source!

Just speculation

[abbottcostello]

So people like us read it

No! Just no

Why even write such sensationalist crap? I don't get it.

[Nero Horse]

So people like us read it

If by "people like us" you mean Ferrari fans then I'm sure that people like us don't want to read such things.

All these grim predictions are nothing more than pure speculation and guesswork.

[abbottcostello]

If by "people like us" you mean Ferrari fans then I'm sure that people like us don't want to read such things.

All these grim predictions are nothing more than pure speculation and guesswork.

Well, I actually meant all F1 fans/followers in general.
Everyone or I should say a good many F1 fans (OK, maybe just me?) are looking to sate their appetite for almost any F1 tidbit of news, inside info of how their team is going to do.

Because of the possibility some journalist may just have something good to say about my team, I am driven to search the web, track down links, all with the endpoint being someone saying things supportive of Ferrari. Oh, they should also have some credibility in the F1 world to REALLY buoy my spirits!

[Nero Horse]

Well, I actually meant all F1 fans/followers in general.
Everyone or I should say a good many F1 fans (OK, maybe just me?) are looking to sate their appetite for almost any F1 tidbit of news, inside info of how their team is going to do.

Because of the possibility some journalist may just have something good to say about my team, I am driven to search the web, track down links, all with the endpoint being someone saying things supportive of Ferrari. Oh, they should also have some credibility in the F1 world to REALLY buoy my spirits!

I can assure you that it's not just you who does that.

I too scan the web every day to find someone saying something supportive about Ferrari, the emphasis being on the word "supportive". All that negative and pessimistic crap I reject immediately. As long as the season hasn't started yet and we don't know anything for sure, I will hope for the best.

[Ophidian786]

I think the general consensus is 1. Mercedes 2. Williams and 3. Ferrari throughout the media.

Personally, I am inclined to agree, and in fact think it is more clearer than we all think.

The only unknown factor is Red Bull. Again, the media generally seem to believe that once they have their problems sorted, they will be up their with Mercedes - which is logical considering they haven’t lost any key figureheads or changed suppliers since they won the last 4 championships.

If / when RB come good, unfortunately we will become - albeit temporarily - the fourth best team. We will leapfrog Williams when the development race heats up.