The 2014 Formula 1 season was wildly successful for the Mercedes team. The Silver Arrow had won 16 out of 19 Grand Prix and never failed to podium in all the races. However, the once untouchable Scuderia Ferrari team struggled through an abysmal year without a single win and ultimately finished fourth in the constructor’s standings.

For 2015, the proud Ferrari team is desperate and hungry. In fact, major reorganization reached the very core of the establishment when Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne became the new president of Ferrari after relieving Luca Di Montezemolo. Second, Marco Mattiaci replaced Stefano Domenicali as Ferrari sporting director. No more than eight months into the new position, Mattiaci himself was replaced by Maurizio Arrivabene.

In addition, Engineering director Pat Fry and chief designer Nikolas Tombazis are cast from the team as well. Technical director James Allison currently takes over Fry’s role for the interim.

When Ferrari’s number one driver Fernando Alonso admitted that he was not 100 percent committed to the team, Ferrari went all-in on a tremendous gamble: four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel now joins Ferrari as Kimi Raikkonen’s teammate.

The Ferrari F14T was notoriously difficult to drive and was quite a handful for Kimi Raikkonen, who complained that the car lacked front end grip and feel. Sadly, Kimi failed to finish on a podium in 2014 and could only manage to beat Alonso twice last season when the Spaniard retired in Italy and Japan. Furthermore, Formula 1 pundits believe Sebastian Vettel’s driving style may cause him to struggle with the Ferrari’s handling characteristics as well, since Vettel’s talent behind the wheel is at its greatest only when the car is tuned to perfection.

Given the amount of ground Ferrari must cover in order to become competitive for the 2015 season of Formula 1, it may be difficult to immediately identify what takes priority. However, the Italian racing team made an impressive showing during the 2015 Jerez testing when both Kimi and Sebastian managed to pilot the 2015 Ferrari SF15-T to first and second fastest laps of the three-day Jerez test session, respectively.

What’s changed? According to Kimi, the front end has dramatically improved. To break down Ferrari’s new technical revelation, Peter Windsor and veteran race car designer Enrique Scalabroni discuss what has changed in the new 2015 Ferrari SF15-T, particularly in the lowered suspension pickup points as well as a shallower high roll center. Be sure to watch the video below to see Scalabroni explain how the new design allows for more progressive braking feel as well as improved tire wear management:

Danny Choy

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