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| Ferrari F92 A |
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Page 1 of 1  In 1989, the John Barnard designed Ferrari 640 F1 revolutionised Formula 1 and motorsport in general with the introduction of the paddle-actuated, semi-automatic gearbox. Over the next two seasons, the Italian team used evolutions of this design but gradually lost competitiveness. Under the leadership of new Ferrari president Luca de Montezemolo and consultant Niki Lauda, designers Steve Nicholls, Harvey Postlethwaite and Jean-Claude Migeot started with a clean sheet for the 1992 season.The final evolution of the 1989 car was the 643 F1 that Nicholls and Migeot created for the final rounds of the 1991 Formula 1 World Championship. This was the first Ferrari to follow the 'raised nose' trend and for the all-new F92A, the two designers pushed the envelope even further. In addition to the raised nose, the 1992 featured a novel twin-floor design to further improve aerodynamic efficiency. The air flowing from underneath the raised nose to the area between the two floors created considerable additional downforce without the penalty of added drag. Mounted on the second, raised floor were fighter jet-like side-pods that were separate from the main body. These housed the radiators to cool the latest evolution of the 3.5-litre V12 that produced around 735 bhp at 14,800 rpm. It was mated to a revised version of the revolutionary paddle-actuated, semi-automatic gearbox. For reasons unknown, the engineering team settled for six instead of seven forward gears as previously used. The front suspension was also distinct as the push-rods actuated one single spring and damper unit instead of the conventional two. Ferrari started the season with incumbent Jean Alesi and new signing Ivan Capelli as the two drivers. Capelli was the first Italian to driver for Ferrari full time since Michele Alboreto during the 1988 season. The two drivers struggled for pace and reliability from the start of the season. Alesi did manage to score two podium finishes early in the year. The novel twin-floor design was quick to be blamed for the lack of results. From the German Grand Prix, the team fielded the revised F92AT, which featured an all-new transverse gearbox, which once again had seven forward speeds. This helped to improve the weight distribution but the wider gearbox protruded into the airflow between the floors. As a last gasp move, Capelli was fired and his place was taken by Nicola Larini for the final two races of the season. He raced with a further revised F92AT, which featured a version of the active suspension system that had made that year's Williams so dominant. This did come at a 30 kg penalty and Larini could do no better than 12th and 11th in his two outings for Ferrari. No real progress had been made all year and the twin-floor configuration was abandoned for the 1993 season. Many years later, in a Motorsport Magazine feature, Migeot explained that the F92A aero actually worked but that the V12 suffered from blow-by. This caused oil to pass by the pistons, which significantly increased oil consumption and cost up to 50 bhp in performance. Ferrari, however, has never been keen to blame performance on the engine, so the twin-floor design was scapegoated instead for one of the team's worst seasons to date. During the 1992 season, Ferrari produced five examples of the F92A and then a further three F92ATs. Page 1 of 1 |
| Article | Image gallery (5) | Specifications |
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