Because of the new regulations this season which we will see and witness the ban of refueling. Teams had to fit in bigger fuel tanks to carry enough fuel to let the drivers finish the race which offers big challenges to the engineers in terms of design and the drivers as well. Mainly at the early stages of the race where they will have to manage their tires well because of a heavy fuel load. There were lots of talks around concerning the wheelbase of the car. Larger fuel tanks means larger space needed.... The picture says it all. If you compare the it to the F60 (2009 car). It is actually longer from the center of the rear end of the car. Look closely at the body panels after the exhaust pipes. The F10's are much longer while the F60's are much shorter.
One more interesting change with the F10 compared to the F60 is the top part of the nose, where the nose cone and the end part of the chassis meets up (above the suspension and steering parts).... it does look more like the design similar to Red Bull's RB5 which they used last year during the 2009 season. I have posted also a picture of Red Bull's RB5 at the bottom of this blog. Try to see for yourself.
This is I think a smart move by Ferrari. If you look at how things have gone last year. Red Bull was the only car that fought at the front end of the field without a "double diffuser". It was even faster than the Brawn GP cars at some circuits. So meaning whatever made the RB5 quick was down to the whole package and not just because of the diffuser because Red Bull's RB5 has pretty much the same diffuser as to the 2009 cars of Ferrari, Mclaren, Renault, etc. etc.
The side pods also of the new car is different from last years car as it is more articulated at the outer end.
These are some of the interesting and noticeable parts of the new car. Of course it has lots of changes inside it that's for sure! If only we they've released pictures of it without the body panels. Which I don't think will happen!
Once again Ferrari became the first team to launch their car! Check out the pictures below!
Ferrari has also released some basic technical specifications of the car, though none of the really interesting information such as its wheelbase:
Chassis
Carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Ferrari longitudinal gearbox
Limited-slip differential
Semi-automatic sequential electronically controlled gearbox – quick shift
Number of gears: Seven, plus reverse
Brembo ventilated carbon-fibre disc brakes
Independent suspension, push-rod activated torsion springs front and rear
Weight with water, lubricant and driver: 620 kg
BBS Wheels (front and rear: 13 inch)
Engine
Type: 056
Number of cylinders: Eight
Cylinder block in sand cast aluminium: 90-degree V
Number of valves: 32
Pneumatic distribution
Total displacement: .2398 cm3
Piston bore: 98 mm
Weight: > 95 kg
Electronic injection and ignition
Fuel: Shell V-Power
Lubricant: Shell Helix Ultra
Red Bull's RB5 (2009 F1 car of Red Bull)
