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The New Retro Red Ferrari SF71H Is Here

Ferrari launched their new 2018 Formula 1 challenger from their base in Maranello today. In a slick online video presentation, the new car was unveiled. The team has returned to the traditional red livery of the past. Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne, Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene, Technical Chief Mattia Binotto and the two drivers were seen during the launch.

The New Retro Red Ferrari SF71H Is Here

Will It Return The Italian Team To Title-Winning Ways?

Ferrari is in the middle of a title drought. The last drivers’ championship was won by Kimi Raikkonen in 2007. The constructors’ title in 2008 is the last time the Italian team won a championship. The Maranello-based team was in the hunt for both titles for most of last season. But reliability issues put paid to their title aspirations. The team and drives will hope that the new challenger will see them regain past glory.

Ferrari on the SF71H

The team has gone for a slightly longer wheelbase, similar in design philosophy to its main rival Mercedes. In an effort to mount a sustainable challenge against the reigning world champions, the team has focused on engine reliability. This was the Italian team’s press release on the salient features of the car:

Description

The SF71H (the code name for the 669 project) is the sixty fourth single-seater car designed and produced by Ferrari to compete in the Formula 1 World Championship. Rule changes introduced last season led to the introduction of significant aerodynamic modifications and wider tyres, all aimed at increasing performance. Therefore the new 2018 Ferrari F1 car has been created to make the most of the experience gained last year. Compared to 2017’s SF70H, the wheelbase has been changed slightly, with the side dimensions also revised along with the cooling system. The suspension follows the tried and tested practice of using push-rods at the front and pull-rods at the rear, however, their design has been updated based on experience gained during the first season running the wider tyres.

Power Unit

The number of V6 engines that can be used over the course of the season, without incurring a penalty, continues to decrease, this year from 4 to 3. The same number applies to the turbo-compressor and MGU-H – the energy recovery system attached to the turbo – while only 2 MGU-K -the device that generates kinetic energy linked to the transmission – are allowed over the year, a figure which also applies to the electronic control unit and the batteries. Therefore those in the engine department have also based their work on these new parameters.

Cockpit protection

The most obvious element to catch the eye is the Halo, designed to protect the cockpit area. After two years of on-track testing, it has now entered the rule book. It weighs around 7 Kg, plus fittings and this has only been partly compensated for with an increase of 5 Kg – from 728 to 733 – to the minimum car weight set in the 2018 regulations.

The Drivers

Ferrari has gone with an unchanged driver lineup for the fourth season in a row. Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion, will hope he can improve on his runner-up position of 2017. Kimi Raikkonen, the last Ferrari world champion, will hope for a trouble free and strong season.

The Tifosi will hope that their team returns to the glory days of the past this season. For Ferrari Chairman Marchionne, nothing less than a title winning season will suffice.

MAIN PHOTO:
Embed from Getty Images

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