Ferrari is testing a new front wing in Korea practice this weekend in line with the aggressive philosophy of its 2012 car.
Italian and Spanish media reports have revealed that Maranello’s next single seater is known internally as ’663′.

Italiaracing reports that the wing tested in Korea on Friday is “inspired by Red Bull’s design”.

Designer Nikolas Tombazis confirmed recently that the front wing “represents a different approach in terms of how it works”.

“We can therefore try and learn as much as possible right away,” he said.

The 2012 car is reportedly very low with a higher driving position and longer wheelbase than the current 150 Italia.

Other Italian sources say that, so focused is the team on 2012, boss Stefano Domenicali and technical head Pat Fry travelled back and forth to Italy between the long-haul Asian races in Japan and Korea.

The 663 reportedly also features Red Bull-style rear suspension, allowing more efficient airflow.

“The Red Bull is not just a diffuser but a very complete car, and I am sure that if the first race (of 2012) would take place now they would still have an advantage.

“Our challenge between now and March is to avoid that,” said Fernando Alonso.

Virgin’s heavily updated car is visibly different to the one that raced in China three weeks ago.

With the full package available only to Timo Glock this weekend, it has a much higher nose than before and a Red Bull-style blown exhaust following a dire start to the team’s second F1 season.

Auto Motor und Sport said the car is 1.5 seconds quicker than the Shanghai version, with the high nose “a bit like the Mercedes”, admitted Glock.

Other teams, however, have had problems with such radical improvements, moving the German to play down reports Virgin could beat Lotus this weekend.

“We can’t expect the exhaust to work right away. Williams tried it in Shanghai and had to pack it up again,” insisted Glock.

He denied on Thursday that he is critical of designer Nick Wirth’s aversion to wind tunnels, confirming only that he is unhappy “with the car, that’s the main point”.

Now working as a consultant to the team is Pat Symonds, who is still banned from having a direct operational role due to the 2008 ‘crashgate’ scandal.

McLaren is still not committed to qualifying and racing with a Red Bull-style ‘blown diffuser’ exhaust layout.

At Silverstone, the British team tried the specification in Friday practice but reverted to the original setup for qualifying and the race.

McLaren and its drivers still head both world championships with more than half the season now run, but boss Martin Whitmarsh admits the team is “under no illusions” about Red Bull having the faster car.

He confirmed that the blown exhaust will be back on the car in Germany for a “major test programme” to compare the new and old floor layout.

“And, if these (tests) prove positive, we’ll then look at the deployment of the new floor for the remainder of the race weekend.  But that’s a decision we’ll only make after a thorough analysis of the inherent risks and benefits,” added Whitmarsh.

It is expected that Sauber will also run a blown diffuser for the first time at Hockenheim.

Ferrari will only get its real blown rear diffuser up and running at a forthcoming grand prix.

It was believed that the Italian team began running the Red Bull-style low exhaust layout at Valencia.

But Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reveals that, in fact, the European GP was only the first phase in a multiple-step development for the F10 car.

The first step was a new gearbox, debuted only by Felipe Massa because Fernando Alonso was in the middle of the four-race mandatory period for his existing transmission.

The Spaniard will get the new gearbox at Silverstone, as well as a new rear suspension layout.

The real benefit of the new gearbox/suspension layout, however, is yet to come.

It is reported that the new layout allows a steeper shape of the diffuser, but the downforce advantage will only come when the exhaust fumes are directed through the diffuser.

Currently, Ferrari is working on ensuring that the blown exhaust does not actually compromise grip due to a sporadic airflow.

It is only at a later date that the entire concept will be up and running.

At Silverstone, the F10 will feature the new gearbox and new housing for the suspension.  Ferrari is introducing the update in stages, so that when the final concept is ready, the team does not have to wait for Alonso and Massa to reach the end of their four-race gearbox phases to debut it.

“In Valencia, we introduced significant updates on the F10 and there will be more in Silverstone and the races after that,” Alonso confirmed.

Nico Rosberg is adamant the time is not right for Mercedes to give up on the 2010 world championship.

The Brackley based team raced a major car upgrade in Valencia last weekend, including a Red Bull-style ‘blown rear diffuser’ and exhaust layout.

But it was yet another bad weekend for the team, and team boss Ross Brawn admitted he would now “reflect, assess and see what our next steps should be”.

According to Rosberg, that next step should not be abandoning the W01 in order to focus completely on the 2011 car.

“We still have many opportunities for development,” he said in an interview with Sport Bild.  “Other top teams, for example, have things that we can develop quite simply.

“That is what we are doing,” said the German.

Michael Schumacher has admitted he is now beginning to think about next year, but the seven time world champion has less than half the points of his younger teammate.

“I am absolutely against that (giving up on 2010),” answered Rosberg, who turned 25 on the day he finished 12th in Valencia.

“I still believe in my chances.  If the championship leader Hamilton fails just once and I win, I will almost be at his level,” he added.

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Lewis Hamilton on Friday admitted McLaren might struggle to keep up with rapidly-progressing rivals this weekend in Valencia.

While the British team will only run the innovation in two weeks at Silverstone, Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault have got Red Bull-style ‘blown diffuser’ exhaust layouts up and running on the streets of the Spanish port city.

Hamilton is the championship leader and has won the past two races, but on Friday afternoon was just fifth fastest, behind and surrounded by the ‘blown diffuser’ teams.

“It was always going to be interesting to see how quickly the blown diffuser cars could get up to speed — and they looked very competitive this afternoon, particularly over a single lap,” said the 2008 world champion.

“And the grip they appear to have through the high speed stuff could make them difficult for us to touch,” added Hamilton.

His teammate Jenson Button, just ninth quickest in the final session, commented: “We’ve just got to fight it out here and get the best out of what we’ve got.”

(GMM)

Little more than half a second separated runners for five different teams as Friday’s practice running concluded at Valencia.

The only car inside the top six without a so-called ‘blown rear diffuser’ was Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren, as Fernando Alonso led the pace with the heavily revised Ferrari.

Close behind were the Red Bulls, followed by Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, while the Renault of Robert Kubica was sixth quickest featuring an impressive emulation of the Red Bull-style rear exhaust layout.

“I can’t talk in high enough terms about it,” BBC pit reporter Ted Kravitz said on Friday, adding that the R30′s solution “is wonderful”.

After Red Bull earlier looked set to walk the 2010 title, before McLaren looked to have taken the upper hand more recently, victory in Valencia could be hotly contested.

“The cars are merging together, we’re not seeing one or two teams moving into the distance.  It’s very exciting,” said British commentator Martin Brundle.

(GMM)

Jenson Button on Thursday predicted problems this weekend for those teams planning to debut a Red Bull-style exhaust layout.

Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault are planning to run updated cars, with exhausts pointed towards the cars’ double diffusers, during the European grand prix event.

Button’s McLaren team will not test a similar layout until the British grand prix in two weeks, and the Briton told reporters in Valencia that there is a chance his rivals have got their numbers wrong.

“The floors are going to be getting very hot, so they’re going to get through a lot of floors, I’m sure,” he said, referring to the fact the layout blasts the car’s bodywork with hot exhaust fumes.

Button’s desire to see his rivals stumble with the ‘blown rear diffuser’ concept is because McLaren engineers predict the innovation is worth up to half a second per lap.

On the similar Montreal circuit two weeks ago, the McLarens finished first and second.

“Coming here I thought that momentum could be carried, but looking at all the cars around us in the pitlane – which I had a little nose at earlier on – there is a lot of new bits on cars,” said Button.

His teammate Lewis Hamilton agrees that Ferrari in particular will be “very quick” this weekend.
(GMM)

Renault and Mercedes will join Ferrari in debuting Red Bull-style ‘low exhausts’ at this weekend’s European grand prix.

We reported earlier this week that McLaren is also looking to emulate the unique rear layout of Red Bull’s impressive 2010 car design.

Ferrari’s F10 car is equipped with its heavily updated car for Valencia, while McLaren and Williams look more likely to be ready by Silverstone.

We reported on Monday that Mercedes’ W01 car might be running the Red Bull-like layout this weekend, and the news has now been confirmed by BBC Sport.

But referring to the layout, the report said the German team is “not expected to use theirs in the race”.

Earlier reports also said Renault has a similar upgrade in the works, and the BBC confirmed that the team has its own version of the exhausts “in Valencia”.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso denied he had learned much about the updated F10 during a filming and promotional test at Fiorano last week.

“I think tomorrow (at Valencia) we’ll have a better answer,” the Spaniard told reporters in the Spanish port city on Thursday.

“We expect some step in the car, a little bit quicker but all the other teams will bring new parts here,” added Alonso.

(GMM)

McLaren on Wednesday confirmed reports a Red Bull-style exhaust layout will debut on the MP4-25 at Silverstone.

Several teams are embarking upon a similar approach, with designers working to install low-mounted exhausts that allow air to flow more efficiently into the double diffuser.

The benefit, with also the fast-moving exhaust fumes channelled through the diffuser, is believed to be up to half a second per lap.

“We’ll be doing trials at an aerodynamic test before Silverstone and hope to have it working on the practice sessions and race it on the Sunday,” engineering director Paddy Lowe told reporters during a teleconference.

He admitted that the biggest challenge is equipping the suspension and bodywork to withstand being “blasted” by hot engine fumes, and rued that Ferrari has managed to have its version ready for this weekend’s Valencia race.

“That is a concern,” answered Lowe when told Ferrari’s step forward could be half a second per lap.

“We’ll have to see how they get on with it.  It’s a shame that some others have been slightly quicker than we were getting it, but we are where we are,” he added.

(GMM)

The next formula one team working hard on a Red Bull-style exhaust system for its 2010 car is Williams.

Ferrari will debut low-mounted exhausts, with gases directed through the double diffuser as seen on the impressive RB6, this weekend at Valencia.

McLaren, Mercedes and Renault will soon follow suit, and now it emerges that Williams is to adopt a similar layout for its Cosworth-powered FW32.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said the new exhaust system will appear no later than the British grand prix in mid July.

The report said the package will include new wings and a bigger double diffuser.

“We are expecting a big step,” said Williams’ long-time engineering boss and co-owner Patrick Head.
(GMM)

With formula one between grands prix, many familiar faces spent their weekends in a slightly different racing environment.

Sports lover Mark Webber was F1′s most recognisable face in the paddock of premier motorcycle racing MotoGP’s Silverstone round.

But also at the British circuit was Mercedes’ Nick Fry, HRT driver Karun Chandhok, commentator Martin Brundle and occasional steward Johnny Herbert.

“I like to watch bike racing on TV,” Australian Webber told sport1.  “I don’t live far away, I have seen many friends here, and there are also many Australians working in MotoGP.”

Elsewhere, despite the ban on in-season testing, more serious business was taking place.

At the UK’s Snetterton circuit, the Classic Team Lotus Festival was taking place, but among the cars in action was the brand new T127 ‘Chassis 4′, to be debuted by Jarno Trulli at Valencia next weekend.

And at Ferrari’s own Fiorano test circuit, Fernando Alonso was driving the F10 for the “promotional and filming” reasons as permitted by the test ban.

But, as confirmed by Italian media sources, the 2010 car was in its full Valencia specification, including Red Bull-style low exhausts, designed to channel more air to the double-diffuser.

“You have to make the most of any opportunity in this era of the testing ban,” the Italian team said.

(GMM)

Jun.15 (GMM)  A feature of Ferrari’s heavily upgraded F10 car in Valencia next weekend will reportedly be Red Bull-style exhausts.

Rival teams initially thought an illegal ride-height control system was the secret of the RB6′s speed, but it is now believed that the layout of the rear of the car – including lowly-mounted exhausts – is the basis of the design.

Spain’s AS newspaper reports that the updated F10 will be between three and four tenths per lap quicker than the basic specification raced in Turkey and Canada.

The report also said the change represents a fundamentally new aerodynamic direction for the car, opening up a new avenue for subsequent development.

“The most important improvement in Valencia is not what we achieve there, but the way it opens us developments to be stronger for the remainder of the season,” Fernando Alonso is quoted as confirming.

As well as the lower exhausts, the ‘B’ car will feature modified rear suspension, AS continues to explain, in order to open a bigger channel of air “to double the downforce generated by the diffuser”.

“For Valencia, the focus has been on other areas of the car apart from the (F-duct) rear wing,” team boss Stefano Domenicali is quoted by Brazil’s Globo.

Meanwhile, McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh has revealed that the championship-leading MP4-25 will feature a “reasonably big upgrade” at the British grand prix next month.