Hours of turmoil in Maranello in view of the presentation of the 2019 Formula 1 car. From what little has been leaked we know that it has a dark red color (because of the Mission Winnow sponsor), but also that it is opaque , which means that it follows the trend started last year by Red Bull. The problem, for now, is to decide whether to put stickers on the body (that is usually avoided to save something in weight) or paint them over, which is not easy with the shades of opaque (which have a very important aerodynamic function because of the conformation of the surface in contact with the air). In other words, small details are just as important as main technical aspects, to have a chance of successfully challenging Mercedes this season.
In other news, it has also become known that Sebastian Vettel’s chief engineer has resigned, the official reason being that he intends to face new challenges in his career. A rather strange situation and unexpected timing given the fact that it happened just a few days after the completion of the car, however, finding a replacement will not be difficult taking into consideration the high level of professionals present at Scuderia Ferrari. It is rumoured that the episode of the screw and screwdriver being left by mistake in the cockpit of Sebastian Vettel in free practice in Brazil, may have affected the relationship of trust between driver and engineer.
With the car launch earmarked for February 15, inside sources from Maranello inform that the Italian team is cautiously optimistic and has been obtaining promising results in terms of power and durability on the test bench. Further, the numbers in the wind tunnel show that the new aerodynamics has not suffered at all the regulatory change to the front wing.
A filming day is anticipated for Ferrari on the 17th at the Barcelona circuit, with Haas doing the same around that date.
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