Ferrari: discovering virtual F1 with Marco Fainello

In the upcoming Formula 1, the use of simulation techniques will be increasingly crucial and so, after several years of collaboration with the FIAT Research Centre, Ferrari has chosen to take a very important step by choosing to build a simulator shaped on the its specific needs which places it at the forefront in this sector.

To understand more, we met, exclusively for www.ferrari.com, Marco Fainello, responsible for Vehicle Performance and the simulator project.

Can you describe what this object consists of?

"Basically it is a cockpit of a single-seater around which the scenario that the driver would see if he were actually driving a real car is displayed, including the vision offered by the rear-view mirrors. The cockpit, equipped with the same control system ( pedals, steering wheel and others) used on the track is mounted on a platform which, through the use of electronically controlled actuators, allows any movement to be reproduced in all directions, thus reconstructing part of the sensations perceived by the driver. It is impossible reconstruct exactly all the movements of the real car because a space as large as a real track would be needed: techniques are therefore used to select and reconstruct some of the movements in a manner compatible with the available space and, at the same time, useful for allowing the driver to feel some of those sensations he would feel on the track."

What does the pilot see when he is inside the cockpit?

"The track is replicated by dedicated computers that use a faithful reconstruction made in 3D, including the objects positioned at the sides of the track and in the background, the tracks on the asphalt, the characteristics of the curbs, the bumps in the road surface. Furthermore, we have stored the data relating to the position of the sun and the shadows that are generated and we can modify some external parameters such as air and asphalt temperatures and the direction and intensity of the wind."

What is the real purpose of a simulator?
Can a simulator completely replace on-track development?

"No driving simulator is able to reproduce the real sensations you have when driving a car; the sensitivity of human beings and, in particular, of expert drivers such as Formula 1 drivers, is too high to be able to believe you are traveling in a car on a non-straight path while sitting in a room. However, simulators are able to provide sensations (visual, force, movement, vibrations, noises) that are identical in some respects, for others similar or in some cases different but traceable to the real ones. In this way it is possible to drive a numerical model of a vehicle obtaining sensations that can be traced back to the real ones. With a good dose of experience on the part of the pilot and the technicians who have to analyze the results it is possible to draw from a simulator test useful indications on the development of the car and on how the driver manages to interact with the behavior and controls of the vehicle. All this can be achieved with the advantage of being able to carry out any test in complete safety, eliminating logistics and material consumption costs, saving time and without being bound by environmental conditions which, indeed, can be set and maintained as one wishes. Finally, the simulator reduces, given the same results, the environmental impact of a real test by consuming much less energy than would have been used if the same work had been done on the track."

Can we therefore say that the simulator can completely replace on-track development?

"Driving simulators certainly cannot replace real tests on the track, but like many other calculation tools and benches (in fact, this object is a mix between a bench and a calculation instrument) it can contribute to improving the process of designing and developing new solutions to be implemented on cars, reducing costs and times."