Ferrari 248 F1

Michael Schumacher driving the 248 F1 at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix.

Ferrari 248 F1

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Category	Formula One
Constructor	Ferrari
Team	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Designers	Rory Byrne Aldo Costa
Drivers	5. Michael Schumacher 6. Felipe Massa
Chassis	Carbon fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Suspension (front)	Independent suspension, push-rod activated torsion springs
Suspension (rear)	Independent suspension, push-rod activated torsion springs
Engine	Ferrari 056, Mid-mounted 2.4 litre V8 (90°)
Gearbox	Ferrari longitudinal gearbox limited-slip differential, 7 gears + reverse
Fuel	Shell
Tyres	Bridgestone
Debut	2006 Bahrain Grand Prix
Races competed	16
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0
Race victories	9
Pole positions	8
Fastest laps	8

The Ferrari 248 F1 is a Formula One car, designed by Aldo Costa and Rory Byrne for the 2006 season.

Name and livery

The car is named after its V8 engine - 24 is the capacity in decilitres, and 8 the number of cylinders. The name breaks the F200x system used from 2001 to 2005, and returns to a system previously used in the 1950's and 1960's (cf. Ferrari 312). The 248 model was driven by race drivers Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa. The 248 F1 is the first Ferrari since the F1 2000 not to wear the number one, denoting that the driver is world champion. The car also features new sponsor decals such as Martini.

Chassis

The car was an update of the previous year's F2005. Although the V8 engine is shorter than the V10 used in the F2005, the wheelbase is actually the same - a new longer gearbox casing has been used.

Aerodynamics

Some notable features of the new model are the rear view mirrors, which are now mounted on the edge of the sidepods of the car rather than conventional position beside the cockpit.

At the start of the season the car featured a triple plane front wing. After the first three races, it was replaced by a twin plane wing, in order to generate more airflow to the underside and diffuser.

Revised rear bodywork was introduced for the French Grand Prix, with a more wasited lower body around the exhausts.

Engine

The engine has been reported to have had a power output of 730bhp at the start of the 2006 season, but modifications throughout the year boosted the power to around 785bhp by the season's end.

2006 season

Main article: 2006 Formula One season

The 248 F1 was used by Ferrari in every race of the 2006 season, unlike in other recent seasons (2002, 2003 and 2005), in which the team had used the previous year's car at the start of the season, while developing a new car.

The car performed well in qualifying at the season opener, the Bahrain Grand Prix, with an all Ferrari front row. However the performance of the car was generally not as fast as the Renault R26 in the first half of the season. At the Malaysian Grand Prix, the car suffered siginficant technical problems - a piston problem meant that both drivers had to change their engines during the weekend, incurring qualifying penalties, and for the race the engine speed was limited to prevent a failure. This problem continued to affect the car for the Australian Grand Prix

An aerodynamic upgrade introduced for the San Marino Grand Prix brought the pace of the car to approximately level with the Renault. At the United States Grand Prix, in Indianapolis, Ferrari were dominant all weekend, resulting in the first Ferrari one-two finish since the same race 12 months beforehand. This seemed to represent a genuine turning point for the car's competitiveness. Modifications throught the season continued to improved the car's performance, to the point where it was considered the fastest package of all for the remainder of the season - the car won 7 of the last 9 races of the season.

Overall, the car gave Ferrari 9 race wins and 4 pole positions, and second place finished in both the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships.

2006/2007 winter testing

The F248 has been used in testing prior to the 2007 season, and is the first Ferrari Formula One car which new driver Kimi Räikkönen has driven, in a test on 23rd January 2007 at the Vallelunga circuit.

Race results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Points	WCC
2006	Ferrari 248 F1	Ferrari 055 V8	B		BAH	MYS	AUS	SMR	EUR	ESP	MON	GBR	CDN	USA	FRA	GER	HUN	TUR	ITA	CHN	JPN	BRA	201	2nd
				Michael Schumacher	2	6	Ret	1	1	2	5	2	2	1	1	1	8	3	1	1	Ret	4
				Felipe Massa	9	5	Ret	4	3	4	9	5	5	2	3	2	7	1	9	Ret	2	1

External links

• 248 F1 Technical Specifications (Scroll down)
• 248 F1 Testing Statistics

Ferrari Formula One cars
40s		1950s										1960s										1970s
8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
125		275 340 375		500		553 625	555 D50		801	412 246	256		156			158 1512		312				312 B					312 T
1980s										1990s										2000s
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
312 T	126 C				156/85	F1/86	F1/87		640	641	642/643	F92A	F93A	412T		F310/B		F300	F399	F1-2000	F2001	F2001 F2002	F2002B F2003-GA	F2004	F2004M F2005	248	F2007