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2010 FIA Rule Changes Have Ferrari Fuming

2010 FIA Rule Changes Have Ferrari Fuming

Spending caps and sports do not make good bedfellows, despite cries form underfunded teams to the contrary. No where is this more evident than in F1 racing. Historically, the F1 team that spends the most enjoys the most success.

Max Mosley wants to change all that.

Mosley has proposed spending caps for teams, but the rules are not so cut and dried. Instead of enforcing a level playing field in all regulations, poorer teams will be allowed more freedom to interprete the rules as they see fit. Teams spending more than $60 million dollars (not including engines, drivers, and marketing expenses??)will be governed strictly by the rule book, while teams with pocket lint for funding will get to make it up as they go, but not if Ferrari has anything to say about it.

In a press release today, Ferrari publically denounced the rule changes, and threatened to end their 60 year streak of continuous involvement in F1 if the rules were not amended.

Ferrari is to F1 what the New York Yankees are to Baseball, so lets hope this statement does not go unnoticed by the FIA. It makes no sense to alienate the best teams or most well funded teams or the most ingenious, when the name of the game is being at the pinnacle of motor sports. Ferrari is routinely all three, and has only recently fallen off the podium as a result of not being able to do anything in their power to go faster.

I say “Let them go faster, Mr Mosley, at any cost.”

Ferrari Debuts F60 Formula Car

Ferrari Debuts F60 Formula Car

2009 Ferrari F60 Formula 1 car
2009 Ferrari F60 Formula 1 car

For 60 years, Scuderia Ferrari has never missed a season of F1 racing. To commemorate this 60 year anniversary, Ferrari has christened the newest Formula 1 entry the “F60”. Ferrariworld.com has an excellent preview of the car, and some video of it traversing the Mugello Track.

Some notable changes have been made compared with the outgoing F2008. Immediately visible in the image below is the much narrower rear wing. Also notice the front splitter is a single airfoil that is much wider than before and the nose that appears to have been lengthened at least 6 inches compared to the previous car. The new wing can also be adjusted by the driver in small increments, a development that has been a long time coming.

Front view of Ferrari F60 Formula 1 Car
Front view of Ferrari F60 Formula 1 Car

Additionally, you can see that the shape of the engine air inlet has changed somewhat from the previous edition,  and the side mirrors have been moved further to the side of the car.  Not readily apparent is the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) that was jointly developed by Ferrari and Magneti Marelli. One of the biggest new features comes with tire choice, as you can see, this car is wearing Bridgestone racing slicks that no longer have thick longitudinal grooves. These new developments are mostly a result of the changes in FIA regulations governing Formula 1, and are intended to enable much more passing than ever before. Now all Ferrari needs is people to pass 🙂

Colin McRae driving a Ferrari 550 at Le Mans 2004

Colin McRae driving a Ferrari 550 at Le Mans 2004

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Behold, the late Colin McRae piloting a Prodrive modified Ferrari 550 Maranello at Le Man in 2004. This is some awesome footage of one of the most famous race tracks of all time. No music, no commentary, simply raw Ferrari power in the hands of a legendary driver.