FERRARI F458
The 458’s multi-link suspension underwent the most radical re-design of all, with revised geometry and optimised c of g and polar moment of inertia, making the new car an entirely different handling racecar to the 430 it replaces
but reducing the Cd.’ Engine cooling philosophies also changed radically between the F430 and F458, with the new car utilising much larger openings in the nose and an articulated radiator venting system designed into the bonnet. The F430’s wide, boxy front chassis section prevented the use of a large, central radiator, so two smaller units were adopted at the outer edges of the nose in front of the wheels, while an even smaller oil cooler was somewhat clumsily plumbed through the limited space under the bonnet. With the F458, the front of the chassis was designed from the outset to reverse this trend, and makes use of a large, steeply inclined water radiator, while there are two smaller coolers in front of the wheels. As well as presenting possibly the least appealing visual aspect of the F458, these various openings also likely contribute to the excessive aerodynamic drag the car currently suffers from. While most manufacturers go
to great lengths to ensure bonnet venting directs as much air as possible around the cabin sides, the F458 sends a large volume of hot air from the water radiator straight over the greenhouse, adding to its drag issues. The F458 follows the trend for 2011 of exposing as much of the
outer portions of the front and rear wheels as the rules allow. After pushing the boundaries in this area last year the new car exploits the flow-through benefits as much as possible, helping to extract air from the diffuser.
ELECTRONIC SWITCH After years of patronising Italy’s famed racing electronics firm, Magnetti Marelli, the F458 has made the move to Bosch. ‘We made the biggest step forward compared to the 430, aside from the suspension, when
the F458’s performances at the 12 Hours of Sebring stemmed from the late delivery of the initial batch of cars. Jaime Melo qualified fifth at Sebring for Risi Competizione, but in the race, mechanical and electrical gremlins plagued both the Risi team and the Extreme Speed Motorsports entries. Gianmaria Bruni set pole at the European LMS race at Paul Ricard, but the development has a long way to go. ‘The problem is the car
arrived very late. If it arrived two months earlier, we would be in better shape,’ said Dindo, who
The car should be looked
at like a young driver starting his first days on the job
we changed the electronics from Magnetti Marelli to Bosch Motorsport, because they had better software and better electronics. And also the electrical wiring has a power box, so it is a multiplexing system, which is common on racecars now. We wanted that on the 458.’ The Bosch MS5.1 system also
provides a robust traction control system. Based on Corvette Racing’s similar switch for 2011, it has become the package of choice in GT racing. The one limiting factor in
oversaw the first test of the car at the end of November. ‘In this condition, we are producing the car, we are racing and we are testing to improve reliability at the same time. For sure, the car is young and should be looked at like a young driver or young man starting his first days on the job.’
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS With all of the work that has been put into the F458 and the 20 cars Michelotto will build this year, and despite the car being at the very beginning of its
development curve, British driver Rob Bell says the differences he’s found from a driving standpoint are night and day. ‘The first time I drove the 458 was the test car at Vallelunga in early March. My first impression was that the car is definitely a more stable platform to work with. At times the 430 was quite edgy. And that was because they made a suspension change in 2008 based around the American scene because they didn’t use tyre warmers there. The 430 then changed suspension to work the tyres harder to get heat into them because they were losing out over the first three or four laps in the ALMS. So when they did that it made the 430 a lively car at the rear. But then what it also meant was halfway through the stint the tyres would be reacting and working harder and not necessarily being able to keep up with the suspension. ‘So you had a situation where
a lot of the time when cornering the 430, the front would work into the corner but the rear would be coming round. But straight away, driving the 458, that issue seems to have disappeared altogether. It felt very, very stable on brakes and turning at the rear, which was our biggest concern when we finished with the 430. The car is a flatter car to drive, which is great in the high-speed
Le Mans •
www.racecar-engineering.com
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