Felipe Massa, Sergio Marchionne, Luca di Montezemolo, John Elkann, Fernando Alonso, Stefano Domenicali at the F138 uneiling

The F138, a name derived from the year 2013 as well as the number of cylinders in the engine that will be powering the 2013 F1 contender from Scuderia Ferrari, internally known as the 664, in a sort of homage to the last year of the V8 in Formula 1.

Scuderia Ferrari F138 Unveiled 10Scuderia Ferrari F138 Unveiled 09Scuderia Ferrari F138 Unveiled 08Scuderia Ferrari F138 Unveiled 07

Scuderia Ferrari F138 V8 engineThe 2013 car hasn’t deviated much from the 2012 car, with regulations for this year staying the same, but the focus has been reducing weight and increasing rigidity during development . Ferrari will continue to use the pull-rod layout of last year, which was speculated to be the reason for Ferrari’s lack lustre performance at the start of the season. The advantage that a pull rod setup provides as opposed to the conventional push rod setup seen on other F1 cars is a small aerodynamic gain and lower centre of gravity. The disadvantage is that parts of the chassis needs to be strengthened to accommodate the upper wishbone which will carry more load than in a push rod setup, adding weight and negating the lowered CoG advantage, and the second disadvantage is that it takes longer to tune the pull rod setup, something Ferrari might have to face again, with just three test sessions this season.

Scuderia Ferrari F138 LogoFerrari has redesigned some of the bodywork elements to accommodate the new layout of the exhausts. The air intake above the cockpit and the sidepods have been redesigned.The DRS has been optimized as well. The KERS system retains its location at the bottom of the car towards the centre, and has been optimized by reducing size and weight.

Luca di Montezemolo at the Scuderia Ferrari F138 unveiling 05Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso with Scuderia Ferrari F138

The 2014 regulations require a single control unit and Ferrari will introduce this unit ahead of schedule for use in the 2013 F1 challenger the F138. The F138 has already been shipped to Jerez from Maranello where the first of the three testing sessions will begin.

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Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo calls the F138 ‘The Hopeful’. A name he explains with three reasons. “Firstly, because of the obsessively detailed review of the past season, secondly, the major changes to the organisation and work methodology and thirdly, the concentration on just one wind tunnel, which will be important, especially throughout this season. Track testing is not available to us, something many would like to see reintroduced, so we have concentrated more on simulation tools. Bringing an experienced driver like De la Rosa to Maranello is part of this strategy and attention to detail” said Montezemolo.

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Chassis

Carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Ferrari longitudinal gearbox
Limited-slip differential
Semiautomatic sequential electronically
Controlled gearbox – quick shift
Number of gears 7 +Reverse
Brembo ventilated carbon-fibre disc brakes
Independent suspension, pull-rod activated torsion springs front and rear
Weight with water, lubricant and driver 642 kg
OZ Wheels (front and rear) 13”

Engine

Type 056
Number of cylinders 8
Cylinder block in sand cast aluminium V 90°
Number of valves 32
Pneumatic distribution
Total displacement 2398 cm3
Piston bore 98 mm
Weight > 95 kg
Electronic injection and ignition
Fuel Shell V-Power
Lubricant Shell Helix Ultra

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