Ferrari has launched its 2018 Formula 1 car, dubbed the SF71H, which clearly is an evolution on the outgoing car with the most notable new visual detail being the incorporation of the 'Halo' drivers' head safety device which is mandated by the rules for this year.
The SF71H, Ferrari's code name for the 669 project, is the sixty fourth single-seater car designed and produced in Maranello to compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
Last year Ferrari came out of the blocks fast, leading the way over the first half of the F1 World Championship before rivals Mercedes caught up and powered ahead towards the end to seize the Drivers' and Teams' championship titles, thanks in part to the Scuderia dropping crucial points due to component quality issues and several driving errors from Sebastien Vettel.
The Italian team will be hoping that the SF71H, combined to behind the scenes improvements over the winter, will be enough to take the team that one step better this year and end its long wait to add further crowns to its unrivalled F1 world title haul.
Rule changes introduced for last season led to the introduction of significant aerodynamic modifications and wider tyres, all aimed at increasing performance and therefore the new SF71H is essentially an evolutionary design with few major changes as Ferrari makes the most of the experience it gained with last year's car.
Compared to Maranello's 2017 F1 single seater, the wheelbase on the SF71H 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.
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.
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.
The programme
After it’s official launch yesterday (Thursday), the SF71H will be transported to Barcelona’s Catalunya Circuit, for a filming day this coming Sunday (25th February), followed by the start of testing proper the following day (Monday 26th February).
The first official test in Barcelona runs until the end of next Thursday (1st March), while the second test takes place at the same circuit from 6th to 9th March.
Both Scuderia Ferrari's 2018 race drivers, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, will be driving the new SF71H at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona next week.
Photos: Ferrari SF71H
