Enrico Gualtieri is the director of the engine department of Maranello, but the birthright of the “Superfast” power unit goes to the engineer Wolf Zimmermann, the German technician who studied the new 6-cylinder turbo which has the task of recovering the power gap from the ‘Mercedes unit: the new combustion chamber that speeds up fueling times, the different turbo that allows a more efficient recovery of electrical energy, a “cold” engine that allows for smaller radiant masses in favor of aerodynamics are some of the points of this evolution.
And it must be added that it is Mattia Binotto’s merit for having insisted on the approval of an engine with innovative solutions that seeks performance in the awareness that, at least at the beginning, it can pay in reliability.
Enrico Gualtieri, head of Ferrari engineers
Photo by: Franco Nugnes
The FIA allows the Manufacturers to work only to find the duration, so the recipe should be right, especially since the installation of the power unit is the result of a long work with Enrico Cardile’s staff and the frame builders …
“The 2022 car has a double meaning: on the one hand we had to contribute to the change of the regulation through a specific installation and layout and on the other hand we had to develop our product according to the freezing of the engines up to the new regulatory course that it will start in 2026. The result is an unconventional and extreme project in terms of installation, layout and most of the internal components ”.
What is the most important innovation of the power unit 066/7?
“Certainly the internal combustion engine and the turbocharger are the keys to the 2022 power unit at the start of the season, also because the hybrid system is a consolidation of what we brought to the track last season. The electronics also had to adapt to a completely revised car, because the engine is definitely different. In general, it represents the third step in a development process that began last year with the 2021 engine and the second with the new hybrid brought to the track at the end of last season “.
What impact does freezing have on engines?
“It certainly weighed, let’s say that compared to previous years it has pushed and forced us to dare even more in planning situations, given the time limit and, in fact, the subsequent freezing period. We had to push all our programs to the limit, we had to keep the door open to all possible evolutions, so we had to take all the necessary risks. Let’s say that it was an accelerating element in a world like ours that is wrong with the plan “.
How important is the change in petrol with the adoption of 10% bio fuel?
“The introduction of 10% ethanol reduces the energy content in the final gasoline, and has an impact on performance in terms of engine power and in terms of energy recovery from exhaust gases. It is also true that ethanol has negative characteristics for combustion which must be exploited in an appropriate way in an engine project. Let’s say that net of all these considerations, the performance loss is in the order of twenty horsepower ”.
“The technical impact of the introduction of ethanol in the fuel is even higher than the performance aspect alone in the extremeization of our product, but precisely for this reason its introduction in the field of F1 engines is more significant, and it is positive as the FIA is undertaking a campaign towards sustainability that will culminate with the new technical format in 2026 with the introduction of a 100% sustainable fuel “.
How important is having developed a hybrid system already last year?
“It was decidedly important and above all consistent with our development path which was to lead us to 2022 with a power unit improved in all its parts. Let’s say that when an upgrade as important as that of the hybrid system is introduced, however much it can be developed on the bench, it is only the track that can be effective to validate a new product. We had some important technical feedback which we then transferred to the 2022 project “.
Enrico Racca, Enrico Gualtieri, Laurent Mekies, Carlos Sainz Jr., Piero Ferrari, John Elkann, Benedetto Vigna, Charles Leclerc, Mattia Binotto with F1-75
Photo by: Ferrari
Have you had to revise the concepts of cooling?
“Let’s say that every year at the power unit level we try to work closely with the chassis colleagues trying to always find the best compromise for the good of the car. This year has been more difficult for the broader spectrum of solutions to evaluate and validate and we have gone to evaluate ideas that are not always in line with those of the past. It was certainly a good test bed for our design skills, the simulation of our tools and methodologies “.
How innovative is there in the power unit?
“There is so much new inside this power unit: just think that the number of new components inside the engine compared to the previous season is one of the highest in recent years. There is an innovation on the part of the contents but there is also innovation from the point of view of the architecture and layout in the car and the layout in general. Certainly compared to the past we have had to undertake different solutions and I think this represents something truly innovative in our environment “.
Are you satisfied with the results achieved?
“Let’s say that in F1 this is the most difficult question to answer, because the true degree of satisfaction is measured only on the track. I can say that among other goals we gave ourselves not to have regrets after trying everything possible. We left no stone unturned along the way. This I think we can say achieved. The track will tell us how much and if it will be enough, as it should be. Certainly, however, credit and my gratitude go to all the people in the power unit group who worked feeling the responsibility of the history of the Scuderia, being the guardians of a winning tradition ”.
Ferrari F1-75 rear detail with the wastegate exhaust blowing into the central one
Photo by: Ferrari
#Ferrari #Gualtieri #Research #engine #regrets