Ferrari F138, Tombazis: “A strong Ferrari for the first race”

Like all pit lane workers, Nikolas Tombazis, Chief Designer of Scuderia Ferrari, will anxiously await the first days of testing to get a first taste of what next season could hold. Tombazis will not only seek confirmation on the work done by his team, but also the guarantee that the direction taken with the new organizational structure put in place in Maranello last year is the right one.

“The recent reorganization of the team after a couple of disappointing seasons had an impact on my position as it became clear that for much of my time I was involved in overseeing both mechanical and aerodynamic aspects,” says Tombazis. “To resolve this challenge, we created the role of Deputy Chief Designer. There are two people in this position, who deal with the project of the respective season in alternate years. We have also hired an Aerodynamics Manager and some other people to improve our methodology on the aerodynamic side. In turn, my role has evolved to control these activities, allowing me to have more time to focus on specific aerodynamic aspects and to take a more creative approach. In recent years Formula 1 has become even more sophisticated, so one person can no longer take care of every single aspect."

The new organizational chart was the result of in-depth internal research into the team's shortcomings. In addition to the intervention on the human factor, it also became clear that the exclusive wind tunnel designed by Renzo Piano needed some updating. “In 2012, we pushed the development of the F2012 right to the end, while the initial development of the F138 began towards the end of last season with the bulk of the aerodynamic work taking place in Maranello,” recalls Tombazis. “In 2012 we also worked in an external wind tunnel, and all the work on this season's car will be carried out in Toyota's wind tunnel in Germany while we upgrade the one in Maranello to bring it up to the right level. The ideal situation would be to have the wind tunnel right here and I can't say that using one in Cologne is the perfect solution, but weighing the benefits of having an upgrade of our tunnel or continuing to use it as it was, we came to the conclusion that the strategy adopted was the best. We have taken measures to ensure that communication and logistics are as effective as possible in 2013. However, regardless of where the tunnel is located, the most important thing is to have good ideas, aerodynamic development and a good structure."

Tombazis is too knowledgeable about Formula 1 to make “courageous” predictions for next season: “The last few years have taught me not to say too many things too soon, so let's wait and see what answers we get from the track. I think we did a reasonable job and we certainly had to take a step forward from where we have been in recent years: the single-seater in the launch version, which will be the same one that will face the first test on the track, has a relatively small part of development in the tunnel wind because it was defined at the end of last season, when we pushed ourselves to the end with the F2012. However, I believe we will have a strong package for the third test session and the first race."