2017 Ferrari 488 Gtb Coupe on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Without engine deal, Red Bull could be squeezed out of F1

It would have seemed unthinkable just a couple of years ago when it was winning more races than it lost and scoring one world championship after another, but these days Red Bull can't get a competitive engine. And if it doesn't get one soon, it could be forced out of Formula One altogether. This development emerges after two years of the once indomitable but now deteriorating relationship between Red Bull and its longtime engine partner Renault. When F1 switched from the previous V8 engines to the new hybrid turbo V6 power units ahead of last season, Renault dropped the ball, and Mercedes picked it up. Ferrari has since recovered much of the lost ground to push the Mercedes factory team for wins, but Red Bull and Renault have not. The stress of falling off their perch has left both parties pointing fingers at each other to the point that the team's longtime technical director Adrian Newey doesn't think the marriage is salvageable, or worth salvaging. "Unfortunately, our relationship with Renault is pretty terminal – there's been too much of a marriage breakdown, so we have no engine," said Newey. That's left Red Bull looking elsewhere for a new engine deal, but so far it's been unable to find one. The prospect of replacing sponsor Infiniti and supplier Red Bull with a similar partnership with Aston Martin and Mercedes has apparently come to naught. And the proposed buyout and engine deal from the Volkswagen Group evidently collapsed in the wake of that brand's diesel emissions scandal. That leaves Red Bull to turn to one of the existing engine suppliers in the series, and apparently neither Ferrari nor Mercedes are willing to sell their engines to one of their chief rivals. As McLaren has demonstrated this season, the Honda engines aren't up to speed, either. Which leaves Red Bull with nowhere else to turn. And if it doesn't find something in time for next season (or the following one at the latest), Newey says it may have to pack it in and close up shop. "Red Bull should not be put in a position where they're only there to make up the numbers." Related Video: News Source: Reuters via Motorsport.comImage Credit: Felipe Dana/AP Motorsports Ferrari Renault F1

Ferrari SF-15T will look to reclaim former F1 glories in 2015

The parade of cars for the 2015 Formula One World Championship continues apace, as Scuderia Ferrari has unveiled the vehicle that fans of the Italian team will doubtlessly be hoping drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will pilot to victory. After the questionable styling of last year's vehicles, this new Ferrari continues the trend of more aesthetically pleasing designs. The vacuum-cleaner-like snout of last year's F-14T has been replaced with a longer, rounded bill that feeds more gracefully towards the cockpit. The new front end is arguably the most noticeable change for 2015, while changes elsewhere on the open-wheeler's body are mere evolutions of last year's design. In fact, that's kind of the theme around the SF-15T. The brake-by-wire system, clutch and gear ratios (which are locked after the first race) have all been optimized based on last season's experiences, while the weight of the car has increased by just 11 kilograms, as per sporting regulations. Take a look at Ferrari's batch of images showing its new challenger, and let us know whether you think this new design will fare better than last year's troubled F-14T. TECHNICAL FEATURE OF THE SF-15T The SF15-T the sixty first car built by Ferrari specifically to take part in the Formula 1 World Championship. It is the second car made by Ferrari since the reintroduction of turbo engines in 2014. The first year of these new regulations was extremely challenging for the Scuderia and the lessons learned have been applied vigorously to the SF15-T to create a car that is in every respect a large step forwards with respect to the F14-T. Chassis The most striking visual difference between the SF15-T and its predecessor is the lowering of the front end of the car in accordance with the change of regulations for the 2015 season. After a few seasons of rather unappealing aesthetics, the 2015 rules permit the SF15-T an attractive nose shape which also brings excellent aerodynamic performance. Aside from the nose area, the regulations for 2015 are largely unchanged. This has given the Team a stable base on which to engineer a much stronger chassis than the year before: A casual glance at the back of the car reveals a much more tightly packaged rear end which allows more downforce to be extracted from the critical surfaces around the rear of the car. The rear wing family has been extensively redesigned to deliver stable performance in corners while producing a larger DRS effect on the straights.

Mansory 4XX Siracusa is the carbon-fiberphile's Ferrari

We've already said the best thing about the Geneva Motor Show are the exotics on display. There's a new Koenigsegg, a successor to the Bugatti Veyron, the latest Aston Martin grand tourer, and even a pretty bad-ass Chevrolet Corvette. But for every good high-performance car, there are more, um, questionable decisions. This is the Mansory 4XX Siracusa, and it's what happens when someone decides the Ferrari 488 GTB isn't as extreme as it should be. The 3.9-liter, twin-turbocharged V8's output has been increased from 661 horsepower to 790 ponies, while torque is up from 561 pound-feet to 643 lb-ft. These are improvements we can support, but the impact on stopwatch performance isn't quite enough – Mansory claims the 4XX Siracusa will hit 60 in just 2.9 seconds and keep going to 212 miles per hour. But for those keeping track at home, the question with the Mansory is whether a tenth-of-a-second improvement and an extra seven mph on the high end is enough to warrant the, ahem, unique design direction of this aftermarket offering. You need to really like carbon fiber to enjoy the 4XX. Like, a lot. Because Mansory has gone beyond even Ferrari's optional carbon-fiber treatments, finishing the front splitter, rear diffuser, roof, pillars, mirror, fender vents, sills, intakes, taillight surrounds, parts of the hood, the spoiler, and both rear wings in the stuff. Then, if that wasn't eye-catching enough, the entire car gets a more aggressive body kit and very, very yellow paint. It's just too much. You can check out the full set of live images of Mansory's take on the 488 GTB from the floor of the Geneva Motor Show at the top of the page.