Allison: “We’ve acquired a lot of important data”

Posted: 24.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Sakhir, 24 February  –Scuderia Ferrari’s path to the start of the 2014 Formula 1 season has now reached two thirds distance. Eight of the twelve test days available are now archived, but there is still a raft of things to understand and perfect given the host of changes this season. The Scuderia’s Technical Director, James Allison spoke to www.ferrari.com to sum up what was achieved in Bahrain. “We came to Sakhir aiming to work steadily through the huge list of actions that we must complete. We wanted to maximize track time, working methodically in order to be ready for Melbourne. I have to say that, with the exception of the morning of the third day, we did just that.”

The team has carried on with its technical programme and continued working on fine tuning all of the innovative elements of the F14T. “We worked on learning how to get the best from the 2014 clutch and on tuning the new brake by wire system” – continued Allison – “We looked in detail at balancing the temperature of all the cooling fluids, a key part of this year’s rules, and we began gradually expanding the operating window of the new Energy Recovery System. We have been able to start to open up our understanding of the handling characteristics of the car and to begin to learn what sort of setup parameters the tyres respond to. Continuing with this work will be an important part of the programme over the last four days here in Bahrain.”

It’s clear from Allison’s comments just how important reliability will be in 2014. Scuderia Ferrari has being working on this aspect of performance up until now and will continue to do so in the final test session, which will also feature some more demanding tests, as Allison goes on to explain. “For the last four days, our programme will see us attempt to operate the car ever more closely to the way that it will run in a race, providing invaluable practice for the drivers and subjecting the car and all its systems to the full rigor that it will need to withstand throughout the season.”

Testing resumes on Thursday 27 February and will run to Sunday 2 March. After that, the next time the cars will see a race track will be 14 March, for Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix, when things start getting really serious.

Raikkonen: “Concentrating on our own work”

Posted: 22.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Sakhir, 22 February – The second pre-season test has come to an end and Kimi Raikkonen shares his thoughts on his two days at the wheel of the Ferrari F14 T. “I still can’t say how quick we are as it’s just the second test of the season and it’s hard to have an idea of what the order is among the teams. One thing’s certain, the more we get to know the car, the quicker we will be. I think that even after the next test in Bahrain we won’t have the answers and we will have to wait until we are in Australia to understand more. The car is still a laboratory and there are various things we have to finish learning about and to test. I have to say there is still a lot of work to do before we can say we are a hundred percent ready.” The Finn is no more concerned about his rivals than usual. “Certainly the Mercedes powered teams have gone well here, but we had our programme and there’s nothing to say that those who were quickest were on the same one as us. As I’ve said, this is a test and in testing you try things out and it won’t get serious until Melbourne onwards. We are not interested at the moment in chasing performance, rather we are looking for reliability to ensure we finish the opening races without any problems. Even the laps we did on the softer tyres were not aimed at performance, but at evaluating what set-up to use for this type of tyre. I’m not concerned about the long runs the others did, as we are working on our own programme and we plan to do long runs next week.”

The Finn’s test ended with a crash, five minutes from the end of the session. “At the end, it wasn’t a technical problem, I just spun at turn 4 and damaged the car. But I don’t think it will be a problem to fix it for next week. Maybe I went too wide on a kerb, which caused the wheels to slide and I lost control of the car and hit the barrier”.

Productive day for Kimi

Posted: 22.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Circuit: Sakhir circuit – 5.412 km Driver: Kimi Raikkonen Car: Ferrari F14 T Weather: air temperature 20/26°C, track temperature 22/36 °C. Sunny. Laps/Kms completed: 82/443 Best time: 1:36.718

This was the final day of the second pre-season test session for Scuderia Ferrari, with Kimi Raikkonen again at the wheel of the F14 T. It was a productive day and the team managed to get through all of its planned technical programme, despite the fact that the F14 T hit the barriers when there were five minutes remaining, which brought the test to a premature end.

This morning, the work focussed on car set-up, an evaluation of the Medium and Soft tyres and on fine tuning the start procedure. In the afternoon, there was aerodynamic work on the agenda, as well as some long runs.

Kimi completed 82 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.36.718. Over the four days at Sakhir, the F14 T did a total of 287 laps, equivalent to 1,553 kilometres.

“We have managed to improve some things compared to Jerez and we continue to understand more about the behaviour of the car,” Kimi said to www.ferrari.com. “We tried various solutions to try and be as well prepared as possible for next week’s test and for the start of the season. Hitting the barrier? I spun on the kerb at the exit of turn 4, these things can happen! Luckily, it was right at the end of the day, I’m only sorry because it means the team now has more work to do.”

Scuderia Ferrari and the ten other Formula 1 teams will take part in the third and final test prior to the start of the season, beginning on 27 February, again at the Sakhir circuit.

Fry: “Our objective is the same”

Posted: 21.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Sakhir, 21 February – Third day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain. A telemetry glitch slowed Kimi Raikkonen’s progress in the morning, but in the second part of the day, the Finn managed to put in a good number of laps. There were no particular concerns in the Ferrari camp, as the problem was identified and solved. Director of Engineering, Pat Fry had this to say at the end of the day. “Today was a bit frustrating, because we were stopped for quite a time with a small but tricky problem. We knew that sooner or later we would have to deal with some problems and that was what happened. These things happen with a new car; some things that seem difficult turn out to be easy and others that appear simple get more complicated and we are still learning.”

However, the team still aims to get through the planned programme, trying to make the most of the time available tomorrow. “We will try to do our utmost to acquire the mass of data we want. Ideally, we don’t want to change our operational plan for next week’s test.” Talking to journalists, Fry was asked the usual question about the state of play among the teams. “It’s hard to say where we are. We knew we’d be facing a very complicated winter with a lot of unknown factors. That was the case, but in Maranello we have done a lot of work and I can see that it’s difficult for everyone to move forward on the development front with so many new systems and so little time to test them.”

Setup work for Kimi

Posted: 21.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Circuit: Sakhir circuit – 5.412 km Driver: Kimi Raikkonen Car: Ferrari F14 T Weather: air temperature 21/27°C, track temperature 22/32 °C. Sunny. Laps/Kms completed: 44/238 Best time: 1:37.476

Third day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari and the first for Kimi Raikkonen, back at the wheel of F14 T number 7.

The day began with further aerodynamic work, as well as some set-up evaluation and practice starts from the pit lane. After 12 laps, the team encountered a problem with the data connection to the telemetry, which involved recalibrating and reactivating the system. The programme then resumed and ran more effectively in the afternoon as the team continued to concentrate mainly on set-up work.

“We didn’t do as many kilometres as we had been hoping for because even though the problem was a minor one, it still took a while to fix” – said Kimi to www.ferrari.com – “It shows how complicated these new systems are, but in the afternoon we managed to run consistently. It was useful in terms of getting used to the environment inside the cockpit after the Jerez test and to check some settings relating to the balance of the car.”

A gentle start for Kimi

Posted: 21.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Sakhir, 21 February – A slightly more complicated morning than the previous two for the Ferrari F14 T, at the third day of testing for the Scuderia and ten other Formula 1 teams at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain. On his first day, Kimi Raikkonen got off to a good start, carrying out aerodynamic tests, as well as working on set-up and doing some practice starts. Then progress slowed as the team had to sort out a telemetry connection problem, which although trivial took up a lot of time. It is to be expected as Formula 1 embarks on an era with more emphasis on technology than ever before. With no pressing need to chase performance, the team decided to have an in-depth look at the problem, so as to get the most out of the new systems, once the telemetry glitch had been sorted. On the weather front, it’s another beautiful sunny day here and the wind has dropped to a gentle breeze since yesterday.

Times at 13h00 local:

Alonso: “They’re doing a great job in Maranello”

Posted: 20.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Sakhir, 20 February – Fernando Alonso ended his two day testing stint in the F14 T and summed up the second session of the season with words of caution and confidence. “Every day we learn a bit more about the car and its systems. We have made a major step forward compared to the first test and the whole team is working well. Of course there is still a lot to understand and there are many elements we want to learn how to deal with as well as possible. Even the performance seems to be thereabouts, but now’s not the time to try and chase it. It will be a challenge for everyone to be ready for the first race of the season and that is our aim at the moment. There is still time to go looking for lap times. I have to say the team has done an incredible job: things went very well over the winter and we are now halfway through the pre season tests and look in very good shape. Despite the bad weather in Jerez we managed to complete a lot of laps. Here, in two days, we have done 161, so on that front we can be pleased. The work at Maranello has been well done and now it’s down to us to make the most of all its potential.”
With all the extra technology on this year’s cars, it’s not easy for the drivers to get the hang of so many new things. “I am beginning to learn more about the car, all its systems and finding the buttons is becoming more automatic and obviously that means we can go quicker and improve,” said Alonso at the end of the day. “There are still some small problems which we must try and resolve, just like when you buy a new domestic appliance, but that’s to be expected, given the radical new design. But every time we go out in the car, it gets easier and confidence grows and that’s why I think the most crucial test in performance terms will be the next one.”
When it came to a hierarchy down pit lane, Fernando would not be drawn. “I don’t think there’s any sense in that. We can say the Mercedes powered cars are competitive, and we can say we are competitive, but I’m sure that at the first race, the Renault runners will also be there. This is only a test and we won’t get a picture of the hierarchy until we are on track for the first Grand Prix in Australia.”

The biggest question mark at the moment hangs over reliability. “It’s hard to know what could happen in the first part of the season. Reliability will be vital and I dare say that in the first races, getting to the finish will mean you have got a good result. However, there has been so much work done at Maranello that we can definitely aim for that.”

872km for Alonso in Bahrain

Posted: 20.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Circuit: Sakhir circuit – 5.412 km
Driver: Fernando Alonso
Car: Ferrari F14 T
Weather: air temperature 21/26°C, track temperature 22/30 °C. Sunny.
Laps/Kms completed: 97/525
Best time: 1:36.516

Second day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari and the last one for Fernando Alonso who tomorrow hands over the wheel of the F14 T to team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

Fernando and the team got through a lot of work, starting this morning with some aerodynamic tests, followed by detailed evaluation of adjustments made to all the operating systems linked to the power unit, including energy recovery and release.

Attention also centred on testing the balance of the F14 T, doing short and long runs with the various tyre compounds supplied by Pirelli.

Fernando completed a total of 97 laps, the quickest in a time of 1:36.516. Over the two days on track, he covered 161 laps and 872 kilometres.

“We are not yet at the point where we can concentrate on performance, but the important thing is to continue to rack up kilometres” – said Fernando to www.ferrari.com – “The team has done a great job of preparation over the winter for these tests, which has allowed us to do a lot of running and test all aspects linked to these new and complex technologies. At the moment, everything is going as we expected, but there are still a lot of new elements to learn about. Teams and drivers both have little time available and it will be a very big challenge for everyone to be ready when we get to Melbourne.”

A busy morning for Alonso in the F14 T

Posted: 20.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Sakhir, 20 February – Second day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari and the ten other Formula 1 teams in Bahrain at the Sakhir circuit. Before stopping for a lunch break, Fernando Alonso completed 49 laps at the wheel of the F14 T, which he hands over to Kimi Raikkonen tomorrow. At the time of writing, Fernando’s time of 1.37.700 was good enough for second place on the time sheet, 65 thousandths off the Williams of Valtteri Bottas.

It was another warm sunny day with a temperature of 25 degrees, but the wind strengthened towards the end of the morning, making track conditions worse. Most of the work centered on checking the car’s systems, as well as focusing on the engine, car balance and brakes. There have been three red flag interruptions so far, which slowed down the work rate, but did not have any great effect on the team’s schedule.

This afternoon work continues on system checks, with further set-up testing and the usual tyre evaluation.

Times at 13h35 local time:

First day of testing in Bahrain

Posted: 19.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Circuit: Sakhir – 5.412 km
Driver: Fernando Alonso
Car: Ferrari F14 T
Weather: air temperature 19/25°C, track temperature 20/30 °C. Sunny.
Laps/Kms completed: 64/346
Best time: 1:37.879

First day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari and the ten other Formula 1 teams, working from today to Saturday at Bahrain’s Sakhir Circuit.

The second test session of the year got underway with Fernando Alonso back behind the wheel of the F14 T number 14 car. The team resumed the programme it began in Jerez two weeks ago, working on further checking of all aspects of the new power unit systems and some aerodynamic testing. Today, particular attention was paid to fine tuning the new brake by wire system, to optimise the balance of the car.

This first day went off without encountering any unexpected difficulties and Fernando was able to complete a total of 64 laps, the quickest in a time of 1:37.879.

“It’s nice to be driving again, especially when you have more reference points compared to the previous time, which means you get a better feeling for the car” – said Fernando to www.ferrari.com – “We are also at a track that is more representative, with normal temperatures, where it’s been easier to understand tyre behaviour. We are in a phase where we are discovering things and with every lap, we learn something new. For everyone, there is still a lot to do to be well prepared for Melbourne, so it will be important to make the most of every day we have available to us.”

Testing continues at this circuit tomorrow, again with Fernando Alonso on track.

Resta: “We’re discovering the F14 T”

Posted: 19.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Sakhir 19 February – After just one day of testing in Bahrain, it’s still difficult to have an idea of a hierarchy in the Formula 1 paddock for this year. So, it’s a given that there is an air of caution within Scuderia Ferrari and Deputy Chief Designer Simone Resta chooses his words carefully. “I think it is still too early to say just how satisfied we are, as we are still learning how the F14 T behaves in various situations and we are trying to gather as much data as possible. One thing we are focusing on at this test is how the new power train is working and its interaction with the driver. Every new component is being watched carefully, such as the brake by wire system and all the software linked to the car, both of which we have worked on a great deal over the past two weeks.”

Therefore, chasing performance has not been on the job list. “That will be the next step,” continued Resta. “Now we just want to rack up the kilometres. The final updates for the Australian Grand Prix will arrive at the next test here in Bahrain and that’s when we will also start trying to get the performance out of the car. Having said that, making a comparison with last year’s car is worthwhile only up to a certain point. Everyone is talking about the engines, but there are two other elements to take into consideration: the new rules mean we have less aerodynamic downforce and the weight of the car has increased.”

One of the current topics is overheating, something several teams are suffering with. Ferrari made the most of the rule changes to go for amajor change, which Resta explained: “ The fact we had to change the power unit allowed us to modify the entire package, on which we have worked very hard, investing a lot. But best not to commit the sin of arrogance in believing we have an advantage.”

40 laps for Alonso this morning

Posted: 19.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Sakhir 19 February -The first day of testing is underway at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit for Scuderia Ferrari and the ten other Formula 1 teams. Before the team stopped for lunch, the F14 T with Fernando Alonso at the wheel, did 40 laps. The Spaniard’s best time so far is a 1.40.694, the fifth fastest, although performance was not a priority on the team’s agenda. The session got off to a delayed start, as not all the marshals were in position, so today’s running is being extended to 17h30 to make up for the 30 minutes lost. Air temperature is a constant 25 degrees, while there is still quite a strong wind blowing. This morning’s programme focused on system checks, aerodynamic measurements, car set-up and work on the brake by wire system, ending with a few practice starts from the pit lane.

In the afternoon, there will be more work linked to fine tuning the car, as well as the usual tyre evaluation tasks.

Times as at 13h50:

Bahrain test begins Wednesday: Alonso to start

Posted: 18.02.2014
Source: Ferrari

Sakhir, 18 February –Scuderia Ferrari is now in Bahrain and team personnel are preparing the garage at the Sakhir circuit, where the second pre-season test gets underway tomorrow. There are four days of track action, running up to Saturday.
With the track located on the edge of the desert, temperatures are ideal for testing, currently hovering around the 20 degree mark. Less pleasant is the wind which is blowing hard today, bringing quite a bit of sand onto the track. One cannot therefore expect to see any particularly fast times on the first day, as the surface will be rather dirty. Fernando Alonso will be first on track for Scuderia Ferrari, running on the first two days, before handing over to Kimi Raikkonen for Friday and Saturday.
The emphasis over the next four days will be mainly on checking all the systems and control parameters of the F14 T. In addition, the programme will include set-up work, helped by the fact that Sakhir is a more representative circuit for comparing the data obtained over the past few days in the simulator, as well on the tyre front. The engineers will also be relying on the expertise of Alonso and Raikkonen to move forward with the development of the car. Finally, great attention will be paid to the behaviour of the 059/3 power unit, which has been the focus of a lot of work in the last few weeks. In fact, the power unit has to be presented to the FIA to be signed off as homologated by 28 February.