V8 Angle, the Secret of Ferrari F10 Performance

Ferrari F10's dominant performance in Valencia last week might not be the marketing fuss most of its rivals were expecting. According to some recent reports in Italy and France, it seems the secret in the car's impressive level of performance is the way its V8 engine is mounted.

According to France's Auto Hebdo and Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Ferrari designers fitted the V8 powerplant in a 3.5 degree angle. If you're wondering what that means, know that the idea was initially used by Arrows back in 1979, on their A2 model (according to the GMM news agency), and has the role of improving airflow underneath the car.

With more air flowing under the Ferrari F10, the newly-developed double diffuser has more air to be fed with, therefore the car's aerodynamic performances are improved. On the down side, however, the V angle of the engine heightens the centre of gravity of the rear of the car, making it harder to handle.

“The diffuser is fundamental. To maximise performance, we have revised the rear and better integrated various components. On the F10, it (the diffuser) is much larger and more efficient compared to previous seasons,” said designer Nikolas Tombazis, according to the aforementioned source.

“The new Ferrari has a very interesting mechanical solution; most of the secrets are hidden under the bodywork,” added Aldo Costa, the technical director of the Scuderia.

Whether these allegations are really accurate or not, we guess we'll find out during the Jerez test this week, when the F10 is expected to piggyback on its performance at Valencia.