Ferrari’s two-handed jump shot in Jerez

Formula 1 and NBA basketball. It’s hard to think of one without the other…that is if you’re Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali

“It’s like playing basketball with one hand behind. You do it for training but when you play, it’s better to use two hands.” the Italian told Sky Sport F1.

“The technical parameters of the F14 T, as well as the aerodynamic validation we saw on track, match our expectations and provide a solid starting point, which we must now exploit as much as possible,” Domenicali told Ferrari’s official website.

“We can’t evaluate performance levels at the moment, neither that of the F14 T, nor those of our rivals. The important thing is to do as many laps as possible to give our engineers the data they need to continue with the development of the car. It would be premature to make any precise evaluations. What counts for more is to have clear ideas on what we must do now and on the direction to take, so that we arrive in Melbourne in the best possible shape.”

No doubt the wind tunnel issues were serious as my visit to Maranello last year with Shell V-Power proved. The building still had cranes hovering over it and construction at full tilt. Our guide mentioned how critical the construction process was in getting everything exactly right in order to avoid future problems.

As for the sport in general, Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is still planning on a double-points finish for the final race and said that the real reason was because Ferrari were not performing. The changes to the sport could be a game-changing move but if Ferrari get it wrong, double points may not help much. The season is already under some scrutiny from F1 fans but Domenicali says that we shouldn’t rush to judgment just yet:

“We are definitely on the eve of a new era in this sport,” concluded the Team Principal. “As usual when there are such radical changes, it’s best not to rush to make any premature judgement and in our opinion, the new technologies are really fascinating. They also represent a challenge which Ferrari, as a car constructor, has welcomed because of the technology transfer it will ensure across all activities of our company.”

While the changes may appeal to Ferrari, I’m unclear on which model road car it is that houses a V6 turbo…oh, that’s right, they don’t have one. They do, however, have a hybrid model in the LaFerrari and perhaps it is here that Ferrari feel the F1 regulation changes could help. Mercedes and McLaren no doubt might feel similar but for Red Bull, Sauber, Williams F1, Toro Rosso and Lotus F1, the road relevancy may not be quite the prime mover it is for the car makers.

Thanks to formula1blog.com