Ferrari: tense atmosphere in F1 power unit department as several engineers leave Maranello
10/06/2024 06:22 AM
Ferrari, in Formula 1, is putting great effort into project 677. This refers to the 2025 car, which will be a revised and corrected evolution of the SF-24 single-seater. The Prancing Horse has decided to intervene in several areas of the single-seater, aware that while the new 2026 regulations are crucial to opening a winning cycle, next season still remains a year to be experienced on track. The goal for the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship is not to play a secondary role but to be a frontrunner fighting at the top.
Without a doubt, one of the most closely watched areas by the Italian team concerns the mechanics of the car. The suspension design will be revised in terms of geometry in order to find the perfect interaction with the car’s aerodynamics. The sidepods will also undergo a significant reshaping. On this point, a clarification is needed. The Red Bull-style “shark inlet” did not convince the Ferrari technicians and engineers. The expected benefits from this solution with inverted sidepods were supposed to provide a significant step forward in flow management, but the gains did not meet the estimated values during the design phase.
For this reason, Scuderia Ferrari has studied a new configuration, starting from the more conventional McLaren base. However, according to what our has been recently reported by various Italian news media outlets, aggressive development has been completed, which will go hand in hand with the modifications to the upper sidepod area. Clearly, there are still several months before the presentation of the Formula 1 car that will compete in the 2025 season, when Lewis Hamilton will move to Maranello to partner with Charles Leclerc. Therefore, it’s never wise to consider certain solutions as definite. However, the “technical path” has been set and will be pursued with confidence.
The Italian team has gone through some very difficult moments in this F1 championship, following the failed floor upgrade introduced at the Circuit de Catalunya in the Spanish Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc himself revealed Ferrari’s subsequent work plan, which involved numerous on-track tests not only to understand how to fix the car but also to figure out how to make concepts that only worked in the factory function on the track. This is where Ferrari's “chase” for the 2025 title begins, laying the foundation for a single-seater that aims to be on the front row before the regulatory change.
The 2026 Formula 1 World Championship will be a leap into the unknown for everyone. There's no guarantee that the current competitive order on the grid will remain the same, as the new regulations foresee such significant changes that the room for growth is enormous. It's an uncharted territory where the technicians and engineers will start navigating as of next January. Meanwhile, the International Federation continues to “adjust the aim” regarding the regulations. We discussed this yesterday, commenting on the recent meeting, which, according to reports, seems to have been very productive.
This was the fifth meeting between the FIA and the F1 Commission, which introduced new developments in various areas. Not only in technical aspects, but also in sporting and financial matters. Such a significant “genetic mutation” like the 2026 regulations inevitably needs to be refined. This is precisely the purpose of these meetings, which aim to foresee potential problems and address them early. One of the main concerns that has long troubled the engineers is the next-generation power units.
The elimination of the MGU-H is motivated by the limited possibility of replicating this very complex system in road cars. To compensate for the loss of the motor-generator dedicated to energy recovery through exhaust gas enthalpy, the MGU-K will be enhanced to reach a value of 350 kilowatts, which means about 469 horsepower. This aspect will essentially balance the contribution between the internal combustion engine and the hybrid system, resulting in an equal power output. Additionally, the International Federation has introduced the much-discussed “override” mode.
This system allows drivers to access extra power manually. When activated, this mode ensures that the motor-generator recovering kinetic energy during braking continues to deliver maximum power of 350 kW beyond 340 kilometers per hour, up to a speed of 355 kilometers per hour. At the moment, the duration of this mode and how many times it can be used during a lap are not yet known. Clarifications on the sporting regulations are expected, especially when the FIA defines the rules related to the chassis of the single-seaters.
There is much to discuss about this innovation, as it seems to be on the same level as a device known as drag reduction system. It provides a clear advantage to enhance the show, which might otherwise fall short of expectations. Regarding the engine and specifically Ferrari, there is interesting information to comment on. As we know, in these situations, any news is highly confidential, which makes it difficult to confidently affirm the success of Ferrari's work on the 2026 power units.
However, we can say that Ferrari’s department dedicated to producing next-generation powertrains is working tirelessly. The Maranello team is in an important transitional phase, a historic moment in which it is trying to build a winning group. For a few days now, Loic Serra has taken full control at a technical level. Alongside him, Jerome D’Ambrosio will support the manager from France in his work as team principal. The goal is to reshape the sporting management once and for all, following the various resignations suffered or intended during the current Formula 1 season.
What is particularly noteworthy about Ferrari is the comings and goings of technicians working on this project. We know that more than one technician from the power unit department has requested and obtained resignations to leave Ferrari. Interpreting this information is not easy, especially when the reasons seem to be related to misunderstandings and disagreements over working methodologies. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur recently stated that some internal moves in the Maranello factory do not need to be publicized, whether they are related to incoming or outgoing staff.
However, it is clear that recording such dissatisfaction, leading to the abandonment of the project, is not very positive news, especially considering that the technicians who decided to step down intend to join direct competitors like Mercedes, Honda, and Red Bull Powertrains. We can only wait and trust the current management, which seems to have a clear vision in this regard. Nevertheless, it must be kept in mind that any small setback toward 2026 could prove fatal for a team that wants to regain dominance on the track once the new generation of Formula 1 single-seaters are introduced starting with the 2026 championship.
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