The 2012 Ferrari will not be a copy of the Red Bull

According to general opinion, the Ferrari 150° Italia is probably not one of the best single-seaters to emerge from the Maranello factory and, in an interview with the Italian magazine Autosprint, Nikolas Tombazis, head of design at Ferrari, discusses the reasons for this failure: « That there was a gap with our competitors during the last winter tests was quite obvious, but it was difficult to measure its extent. We discovered it, somewhat painfully, during the first qualifications » confides the Greek engineer, referring us to the Australian Grand Prix where Sebastian Vettel had relegated Fernando Alonso, the first Ferrari driver on the grid, to almost one and a half seconds in Q3.

Very quickly, the lack of aerodynamic support of the latest creation from the men of Maranello was pointed out: « The efficiency of a single-seater is composed of many factors, the most important of which is aerodynamic load. This year, this value was significantly influenced by the performance of the exhaust systems. It is difficult to say, in percentage terms, what part of the performance gap was due to the load, but what we realized is that in certain conditions, we had less load than our competitors, and by that, I especially mean compared to Red Bull. We also realized, regarding the blown diffuser, that we were less well-prepared whether on the aerodynamic or engine side, explains Tombazis.

However, the issues affecting Ferrari are not new, and many today judge that the Italian team has become a follower in terms of design, especially since the departures of Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne. As a result, some are questioning the ability of the men at Maranello to innovate and are already considering that the Scuderia will merely copy Red Bull for 2012, which Tombazis assures is not the case: « No one can be indifferent to the competition […] but it’s not only Red Bull that has interesting solutions. There are also slower cars with solutions worth considering. We mustn’t hide behind our little finger. I think next year’s car will have many different solutions, all of our own, and it wouldn’t be fair to say it’s a Red Bull: it will be a Ferrari! It will be different in various areas, with new solutions in others, perhaps inspired by other machines: it will be a mix. »