Ferrari SF90, 2019

New Ferrari chief says 2019 car is “not a revolution”

2019 F1 season

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New Ferrari team principal Matteo Binotto described the team’s new design for the 2019 F1 season as an evolution of last year’s car.

However he also said the team had tried to adopt some more “extreme” solutions on the Ferrari SF90, which was launched today in Maranello.

“Starting in 2018 we got really good achievements,” said Binotto, who replaced Maurizio Arrivabene in charge of the team last month.

“I think the car is a development of last year’s car, it’s not a revolution. I think we simply tried to push again, raise the bar, raise the level, tried to be as extreme as we could.”

Refinements in the car’s power unit has allowed the team to shrink its bodywork and improve its aerodynamics, explained Binotto.

“I think if you look at it in all the details, certainly we try really to push very hard, being innovative. The roll hoop is very narrow and very slim. If you look as well at the bodywork on the back, very slim I think.

“And that is thanks to the entire job, which you cannot see because it is below, in terms of engine installation, power unit installation, packaging. A lot of effort has been done and I think that the final shape is somehow the result of all this effort and we like it.”

Video: Ferrari reveals new SF90 for 2019

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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26 comments on “New Ferrari chief says 2019 car is “not a revolution””

  1. Beauties don’t need revolutions ;-).

  2. Most of the chassis looks like it’s in the same family of their 2017 and 2018 challenger, with the exception of slightly tighter packaging. I’m sure there are a ton of intricacies on the car as well that have not been displayed on launch, but will be seen during pre season testing.

    Loving the matte finish on the entire car.. looks fantastic!

    1. Pretty sure the cars will be quite different by the time we get to Melbourne from what we have seen at launch.

    2. @todfod I’m across the street I generally hate matte finishes but it’s even worse when it’s Ferrari red matte… That looks bloody awful. Ferrari are always bright, shiny red!!

      1. @fer-no65

        Yeah.. I don’t think it’s everyone’s cup of tea. I kind of grew tired of the big red glossy look…which is why I like it. Let’s see what it looks like on track though

        1. @todfod @fer-no65 matte finish it’s something that polarize. I personally love it, on everything. The moment you get accustomed to it, everything glossy looks so old.

          1. I think I would like it if it wasn’t for the black on red of the Marlboro sponsors logo, it irritates my eyes!

      2. @fer-no65, depends what period you are referring to, because it really wasn’t until the late 1990s that Ferrari started using a brighter, slightly orange tinted colour livery.

        If you look at historical photographs of the shade of red that Ferrari used in the past, it is noticeable that it is a darker shade than the one used now. The shade of red that Ferrari uses these days is probably closer to what was the traditional livery that Lancia used to use when they were racing in the 1950s, rather than what was Ferrari’s traditional shade of red.

  3. What does that mean? It is just Loria’s twin sister?
    Has Vettel named the thing yet? Important questions here guys

    1. @johnmilk I’m not superstitious and I hope Seb is on the same wavelength: let’s call her Vittoria. Or Ittoria, which sounds dumb, but it’s Vittoria with a dropped letter like Loria was Gloria with the dropped G.

      1. @m-bagattini Vitoria is a really popular name near where I’m from due to a football club, they haven’t being doing much of it though.

        Even though I’m not a spiritual person I feel they should go with some sort of calling to the divine. Angelica or Benedetta. They need any help they can find to keep them pointing in the right direction (get it?)

        1. @johnmilk Benedetta is #blessed in Italian…

        2. @johnmilk
          Vitoria Setubal ?

          1. @tifoso1989 Guimarães. I live in the north

  4. Wonder if it comes with anti-spin control for Vettel.

    1. Think outside the box: this one comes with 8 reverse gears

    2. I believe it’s called CRS (Crash recovery system)

    3. Ugh will this meme just die already. Leclerc spun 10x as much as Vettel did last year and nobody says a thing about it.

      1. people often forget just how much Senna crashed

      2. @kanundra well Leclerc was a rookie last year so he can be excused some mistakes. If he is still spinning after 13 years in the sport then you can talk.

      3. @kanundra Name all of Leclerc’s spins versus Vettel’s.

    4. Hamilton has done far bigger mistakes in 2016 but there are more Hamilton fans so there’s that.

  5. I mean… it looks not all that different from the 2018 car. Maybe they’re not showing their hand much but it looks somewhat underdeveloped compared to RB/Mercedes – a lot less complicated in the bargeboard area. Like McLaren, the colour scheme is nice but the car looks a little… basic? I guess they’ll change it by Melbourne.

    I dunno. Tbh I still don’t think Ferrari would win a title even if they had a rocketship – they’re too good at shooting themselves in the foot.

    1. Subpension like is really standaard while Mercedes and Red Bull go to open that room up for more airflow on the bargeboard area which will improve downforce a lot.

  6. Really interesting thing for me is the front wing is inside out simular to the alfa wing. The deformable unsupported elements are on the outside. So the wing is big towards the middle and smaller towards the outside. As if they are trying to spill more air around the front wheels rather than over them. This is the most striking difference I’ve seen so far!

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