Ferrari to ditch pullrod system on new F1 car

[John S]

Allison pushing new direction for 2014. Will McLaren back away as well?

Stanger than the Marenello tech change is Bernie's comments at the end of the piece, below. Does the very experienced old curmudgeon really think that Nando could have done more with the famous red car this year - or is there another aggenda?   

Ferrari has "almost certainly" abandoned its novel approach to front suspension layout ahead of the 2014 season.

That is the claim of the authoritative Italian publication Autosprint, after Ferrari came close to winning last year's title with the 'pullrod' system not seen on the F1 grid for more than a decade.

Autosprint reports: "The 2014 Ferrari will almost certainly abandon the pullrod front suspension to return to classic pushrod, as per all the other teams apart from McLaren."

Indeed, McLaren - despite having arguably the fastest car at the end of 2012 - followed Ferrari's lead into pullrod technology for 2013, and promptly had its worst season in decades.


Ferrari's change of direction may have been influenced by newcomer James Allison, who was responsible for the highly competitive Lotus cars of recent seasons.

"In F1, you don't fix everything overnight," the Briton is quoted as saying. "The team has analysed its weak points, one by one, and we are continuing to do that.

"It is no secret that we have been lacking in the aerodynamic area in recent seasons," added Allison.

Bernie Ecclestone hopes the famous team, arguably the most important name in Formula One, can get back to winning ways in 2014.

"People think the Ferrari name is enough to win," the F1 chief executive told Marca, "but I think Mr (Luca di) Montezemolo has put much more into the team for next year and we will see a very different Ferrari."

Asked by the Spanish sports newspaper what he thinks Ferrari did wrong in 2013, Ecclestone answered: "I don't know if the problem was Ferrari or Fernando (Alonso).

"I hope he has not lost the enthusiasm that he had -- the problem is that if you think the team can't give you the car you want, it's a problem, isn't it?"

Master.motorsport.com, Today.

[Jericoke]

Good for Ferrari is good for F1 (as much as I hate to say it)

As for Bernie's comments about Alonso/Ferrari... I think if you look back at the history of Ferrari, there are a lot of sore feelings from ex drivers.  Irvine and Barichello were very vocal about their time.  Kimi seemed to have lost his motivation before Alonso replaced him.  Even Schumacher could have come back with Ferrari and chose not to.

My guess is that the pressure of driving for Ferrari is immense, and it wears on even the best drivers.  Winning goes a long way to making things right, but losing is going to let the pressure get to them, no matter how flush their bank account is (these guys are all racers first, and millionaire playboys second... even Kimi)

[cosworth151]

I would imagine that Allison's arrival was the major deciding factor. He'll want to go with his own design. I don't think he's had ant experience with pull rod systems.

As for Alanoso, the general consensus seemed to be that he was doing his best with a bad car.

I wonder if McLaren will revert to pushrods, too.