Ferrari testing and track engineer explains key characteristics of Spa-Francorchamps track | 2024 Belgian GP
07/24/2024 12:11 PM
Francesco Carrozzo is one of the young engineers of the Scuderia who are growing within the team. A 33-year-old Italian, he is the testing and track engineer of the team on track, responsible for the transmission of the SF-24.
What are the characteristics of the Spa-Francorchamps track?
“Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most iconic circuits in the championship, personally among my favorites. It is famous especially for the legendary Eau Rouge corner, tackled by drivers at over 300 km/h, which in person looks like a real wall to climb. It is also the longest circuit in the championship, with almost 50 gear changes per lap in qualifying, and is characterized by long super-fast sections to be driven at full throttle: not surprisingly, the most used gear is the eighth! It alternates slow corners like La Source and the Bus Stop, tackled in second gear, where the driver must control tire slip on exit with pedal sensitivity, and fast corners like Blanchimont and Eau Rouge, taken at full throttle.”
What kind of stress does the gearbox receive over a race weekend, and what is the most demanding track for this particular component?
“The gearbox is the link between the torque delivered by the PU and that actually transmitted to the ground by the tires. It receives all the stresses in terms of accelerations and loads coming from the interaction between the rear tires and the asphalt, such as bumps, curbs, lockups, and slips. Consequently, it must be an extremely versatile and reliable component, given the repeated use of the same unit over many Grands Prix.”
“A significant part of the stress also comes from the gear changes themselves: thousands are performed in a single Grand Prix, and all must be extremely quick and precise. Among the most demanding tracks for this element, I would certainly mention Singapore, where the particular track layout imposes continuous ‘stop-and-go’ for the driver, who is constantly engaged in gear changes, totaling over 8,000 over the course of the weekend.”
What was the path that brought you to Ferrari, and what does it mean for you to represent this team?
“I was born and raised in Sicily in a small town on the east coast in the province of Messina. I studied engineering in Catania and then in Turin, where I started working at some automotive companies. In 2019, I had the opportunity to join the gearbox testing group at Ferrari, and I didn’t hesitate to move from Turin to Maranello.”
“I started working as a gearbox engineer on test benches and then joined the trackside group of the customer teams. Since last year, I have been working with the Scuderia Ferrari trackside group, and it is obviously a great source of pride and satisfaction, not only for me but also for my family and loved ones.”
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