timbo wrote:ISLAMATRON wrote:Here are some facts... Ferrari just let Massa test a totally aerodynamically obsolete F2007 on some useless tires, but uses the same engine that will be in the 2010 car... What the hell do you think they were testing? The drink bottle? or maybe the rear rain light that they cant seem to make work correctly?
How do you know it's "the same engine that will be in 2010"?
Actually Merc lump was among the worst @2006 and now is best. Is it the same engine?
Do you really think it is a 2007 spec engine that Massa just tested with? Sitting in the car for 2 years? The engine block (056) Ferrari has been using since 2006 is pretty much the same because that is what was homologated and the engine freeze does not allow much to be changed to that, the only things that have changed since '06 was first rev limited to 19K, then 18K, then they had to stretch the engines for 8 to last a season. Even when the 18K limit was put in only changes to the fuel injector and intake runners were allowed.
Yes, it is essentially the same engine Merc has been running since 2006, the rules have just come back to what suit their engine more, specifically the 18K rev limit puts more emphasis on driveability than all out top end power. The changes to the engine internals has been minimal since the re-homologations at the start of 2008, with the introduction of the 18K rev limit. Most of the gains have come about from fuel mapping, ignition timing, intake and exhaust tuning, lubricants and soforth not changing any of the engine internals.
Ferrari is in a heap of trouble with their thirsty engine for 2010 and they have decided to cheat the test ban rules in order to help themselves out. Even with engine dyno's running day and nite they cant figure out how to decrease their fuel consumption, so they cheat under a guise of giving Massa a gift.