Ferrari ‘forced to go daring’ with PU design solutions
A view of the cooling features and sculpturing of the side of the Ferrari F1-75. February 2022.
Ferrari’s head of power unit, Enrico Gualtieri, says the Scuderia’s hand was forced into a “daring” design for its PU in light of this year’s engine freeze.
Ferrari have not won a grand prix since 2019, the Scuderia dropping off the pace in the wake of their engine scandal.
Since then the team has set about recovering performance, Ferrari upgrading its power unit in the second part of last year’s championship resulting in a seven-race double points-scoring streak.
That V6 has formed the basis for this year’s design, the last year in which the engine manufacturers can make changes to their units before an engine freeze comes into effect. That runs until the end of 2025.
Ferrari F1-75 interesting car, cnt wait to see it under the skin, esp radiator and engine layout pic.twitter.com/8k9g4wMnGD
— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) February 17, 2022
“It has certainly made an impact,” Gualtieri told The Race regarding the upcoming freeze.
“Let us say that, compared with past years, it has stimulated, even forced us, to go for even more daring design solutions, given the significant time limits, in particular the coming freeze.
“We have had to take all our programmes to the absolute limit. We have had to keep the door open for all possible evolutions, right until the last moment.
“We have certainly had to take all the necessary risks. We had to speed up our development even more in a world that is already going at a thousand miles an hour.”
The engines’ specifications will be homologated and frozen during 2022, done in two parts.
The first is regarding the engine, turbocharger, MGU-H, engine exhaust system, fuel and engine oil, with the deadline for any changes or upgrades to these presented to the FIA before the season even gets underway, with their freeze date of March 1.
The second, which is for the MGU-K, energy store and control electronics, has to be done by 1 September.
Gualtieri said of Ferrari’s new V6: “There is so much that is new and innovative in this power unit.
“Suffice to say that the percentage of new components of the internal combustion engine, compared to the previous season is one of the highest of recent years.
“There is innovation in terms of content but also architecture, the vehicle distribution and the layout in general.
“Compared with the past, we have had to look at and adopt different solutions and this I think, in our particular environment, is something that is continuously innovative.”
“The internal combustion engine and the turbocharger are definitely the key elements of the 2022 power unit at the start of the season,” said Gualtieri.
“The hybrid system is another step in the evolution we brought to the track at the end of last season.
“The electronics have had to change a lot too, having to adapt to the needs of a completely new car concept and an engine that is very different from last year’s.
“It represents the third step of our development path. The first stage was the engine at the beginning of last season, the second was the evolution of the hybrid system, brought to the track at the end of 2021.”
Ferrari reveal their 2022 challenger
Ferrari have revealed their 2022 challenger.
