F80: Ferrari’s Latest Supercar

AERODYNAMICS

The F80 pushes aerodynamic performance to levels never seen on a Ferrari road car, as testified by the 1000 kg of downforce produced at 250 km/h. This astonishing achievement was made possible by perfect symbiosis between all the internal Ferrari departments working on the definition of the car’s architecture; for each department, the ideal balance between downforce and top speed was the basis for every design choice, giving shape to a suite of extreme solutions befitting a true supercar.

The front end of the F80, which develops 460 kg of total downforce at 250 km/h, was inspired by the aerodynamic concepts employed in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship (WEC), innovatively reinterpreted for this application to become cornerstones of the entire design. On the one hand, the recumbent racing driving position allowed for a chassis with a high centre keel. At the same time, the cooling system layout freed up the entire central portion of the vehicle, maximising the space usable for other functions.

The body-coloured central volume of the nose acts as the generously sized main plane of the front wing. Inside the S-Duct are two flaps following the main profile to complete the triplane wing configuration with curvatures and blower slots inspired by the 499P. Crucial for the aerodynamic efficacy of the front of the vehicle is the way the triplane works in perfect concert with the S-Duct and the high central keel, minimising blockage of the air flow towards the wing and maximising performance.

As a result, the airflow from the underbody and bumper undergoes violent vertical expansion. It is redirected within the duct towards the front bonnet, generating a potent upwash, translating into a powerful low-pressure zone under the underbody. This accounts for 150 of the 460 kg of the maximum downforce generated at the front of the car, which, however, is very sensitive to changes in ground clearance. Therefore, the active suspension ensures the vehicle’s aerodynamic balance, which controls the vehicle’s attitude in real time and adjusts the distance between the underbody and the road in response to driving conditions.

The volume freed up under the feet of the driver also made room for three pairs of bargeboards. These devices generate powerful, concentrated vortices which introduce a velocity component to the airflow field in the outwash direction. In addition to improving the underbody’s suction, the outwash also reduces blockage and enhances the performance of the front triplane. The bargeboards also help mitigate the detrimental effects of the wake of the front wheel by confining it and keeping it away from the underbody, preventing contamination of the airflow directed to the rear of the car.

The aerodynamic performance of the rear zone of the car, which generates the remaining 590 kg of downforce at 250 km/h, is a result of the combined action of the rear wing-diffuser system. The efficiency of this system is highly dependent on the quantity of downforce produced by the underbody, as this has minimal impact on drag.

To take the performance of the diffuser of the F80 to extreme levels, the expansion volume of the diffuser itself has been maximised by inclining the engine-gearbox unit by 1.3° in the Z axis and by the configuration of the rear chassis and suspension components. The starting point of the upward curvature of the diffuser has been brought forward, resulting in a diffuser measuring a record-breaking 1800 mm in length, which generates a substantial low-pressure zone underneath the vehicle, which in turn draws a massive flow of air into the underbody area.

The geometry of the chassis, with narrow, curved sills, contributes to creating an aerodynamic seal effect around the underbody by forming a duct that captures the flow adhering to the flank and blows air into the interior of the rear wheel arch housing under the lower suspension arm. The interaction between this airflow and the outer strake of the diffuser interferes with the vortices generated in the wheel-road contact zone, preventing air from entering the diffuser too far forward. These solutions work in such perfect harmony that the downforce generated by the diffuser alone is 285 kg or more than 50% of the total downforce on the rear axle.

The active wing is the most visually distinctive aero feature of the F80, which completes the entire aerodynamic concept of the vehicle. The actuator system of the rear wing adjusts not only its height but also controls the angle of attack continuously and dynamically for precisely modulable downforce and drag. In the High Downforce (HD) configuration, which is used during braking, turn-in and cornering, the wing assumes an angle of 11° relative to the direction of the airflow to generate over 180 kg of downforce at 250 km/h.

At the extreme opposite of its range of rotation, the wing is in a Low Drag (LD) configuration, with the leading edge pitched upwards. Drag is much lower in this configuration, not only because of the reduction in lift but also due to the tractive effect generated by the residual low-pressure zone impinging on the underside of the wing itself.

The rear wing is the keystone of the entire adaptive aero system, allowing the F80 to adapt to any possible dynamic conditions monitored and evaluated in real-time by the vehicle control systems. In response to the driver’s requests regarding acceleration, speed and steering angle, the system determines the optimal blend of downforce, aerodynamic balance and drag and tells the active suspension and active aero systems to implement the ideal attitude accordingly. In the case of the aero system, this means controlling the angle of attack of the rear wing and the activation state of the Active Reverse Gurney flap under the front triplane.

With its two different configurations, the flap also allows control over downforce and drag at the front of the car: the closed position generates maximum downforce, while in the open position, the device is at right angles to the airflow and, similarly to how DRS systems work in Formula 1, stalls the underbody to reduce drag and let the car reach a higher top speed.

HEAT MANAGEMENT

Defining the layout of the cooling system demanded in-depth studies and painstaking development to reconcile the thermal needs of the engine (which has to dissipate over 200 kW of thermal power during performance usage) and the new hybrid system with aerodynamic requisites. The aim was to design a cooling system with the least possible impact on the overall packaging, to attain a functionally and aerodynamically valid configuration that perfectly accommodates the aerodynamic and thermal demands of the F80.

The radiators are positioned optimally to maximise the flow of cold air and minimise interference with the hot air flow for better thermal exchange efficiency. Several other innovative solutions were also adopted to improve the overall thermal balance of the car, such as the transparent film embedded in the windscreen, which uses power from the 48V circuit to demist the screen and reduce the power demand on the HVAC system. Additionally, the climate control circuit is controlled by electrically actuated valves, which modulate the refrigerant’s flow to the HVB circuit’s needs, improving energy management.

At the front are two condensers serving the climate control, battery and active suspension circuit, plus three high-temperature radiators for cooling the V6. Two of these are situated laterally, in outboard positions, to make the most effective use possible of the space between the underfloor and the headlights. At the same time, the third is located at the centre and takes advantage of the upwash generated by the triplane to ensure adequate airflow.

The venting of the hot air flows has been optimised so as not to interfere with the front aerodynamics and the flows of cooling air directed towards the rear. The central vent of the lateral radiators opens inside the wheel arch housing, a solution offering the least possible blockage to ensure excellent permeability for the radiating masses. Another aperture in the flank of the front wing ahead of the wheel contributes to containing the wheel wake while also directing hot air around the wheel’s exterior. The centre radiator vents heat into the zone between the bumper and the front bonnet without interfering with the flow exiting the S-Duct.

Several functions are integrated into the flank of the F80 in a single formal solution described by the upper volume of the door, where the surface drops away gradually to give shape to a channel incorporated in the bodywork itself. The shape of this channel protects the airflow along the wing from thermal contamination by the hot wake of the front wheel and guides it along the door’s surface to the inlet at the leading edge of the flank. This air intake is topped by a winglet that reinterprets the distinctive form of NACA aeronautical inlets: a solution that exploits the vorticity of the air to capture part of the air stream flowing in the region above the duct. Inside the duct, the incoming air is split into two flows, with one feeding the induction system of the engine, which benefits from up to 5 hp of extra power as a result of the ram effect, and the other feeding the intercooler, which cools the intake air, and the rear brakes.

Here too, the engineers opted for innovative solutions to keep the braking system – developed around state-of-the-art CCM-R Plus discs – working in optimal thermal conditions. These include a front duct that uses the hollow inner cavities of the front impact-absorbing chassis longerons to channel the high-energy cold air flow from the bumper to the discs, pads and callipers, which are the most sensitive elements of the system. For the first time ever, this solution, patented by Ferrari, turns a packaging constraint into a means to maximise cooling performance and offers a 20% increase in cooling airflow compared to the LaFerrari with no penalty in front aerodynamics.

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