Consequently, a lot of work needs to be done back at Maranello in order to make sure the two Ferrari F10s will walk the walk in 2010. According to the Italian media, it seems the Italians have already started developing an innovative rear diffuser design for a B version of the F10, due to be introduced later this year.
The first rumors about this move had surfaced in the media shortly after the first test of the winter, in Valencia, when Ferrari topped the timing reports. According to Italy's weekly Autosprint magazine, former Toyota F1 CFD expert Giuseppe Azzollini was employed by the Scuderia in the late months of last season for the sole reason to design a new rear diffuser for the Ferrari F10.
The reason why this diffuser cannot be fitted onto the current F10 is because it is incompatible with the chassis. It seems the design had been prepared for the Toyota TF110, but when the Japanese manufacturer decided to quit the sport, it was abandoned.
However, until the new diffuser will make its debut in the series, Ferrari has to work on its cooling problems, as both Felipe Massa's and Fernando Alonso's engines had to be changed prior to the Bahrain race. While the official statement at the time suggested the change was done due to “abnormal parameters” of the engine used in qualifying, it seems the problem is linked to the cooling system.
“The temperature of the engine is the result of the aerodynamics of the car, so we have to work on that in order to make sure that we don't have any more of these kinds of issues for the next hot races,” said team boss Stefano Domenicali, hinting that Massa's problem in the late stages of the race – when asked by the team to save fuel – was also related to temperature issues.
It is believed the Ferrari designers have already started working on an improved aero package in order to improve engine cooling for the Australian GP.
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