Ferrari will shut down its wind tunnel this winter

In 2011, Scuderia Ferrari discovered a discrepancy between the data from its wind tunnel and the actual data collected from the track. The Italian team then reworked its wind tunnel to obtain more accurate data, but this process does not seem to have fully borne fruit.

Indeed, Luca di Montezemolo believes that Ferrari’s performance this season has been impacted by similar issues, and the team has decided to close its wind tunnel this winter to resolve the problem once and for all.

The real problem is that sometimes the data matches (between the wind tunnel and the track) and that creates even more confusion. Domenicali found a solution: to close our wind tunnel for a while and conduct our tests elsewhere, in order to verify everything and recalibrate. It will take time. I don’t know if it will happen in December or January, that remains his decision: I have absolute confidence in Domenicali, admitted di Montezemolo, as cited by Gazzetta dello Sport.

Last year, Ferrari revealed that it had used Toyota’s wind tunnel to develop part of its car. During this planned closure of its wind tunnel this winter, the Italian team could do the same to continue the design of its car for 2013.

With Fernando Alonso currently leading the championship and still in the running for the title, Luca di Montezemolo believes it is crucial to rely on data from simulations: « We need to improve the car, it’s fundamental. We must ensure that the things tried at the factory can be confirmed once on the track. »