On the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari chief engineer Diego Ioverno spoke about his role in the team and the details of preparation for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Q: What is your role at Ferrari and how did you get into motorsport?
Diego Ioverno: Since childhood I was crazy about almost all sports. Ever since I came from Bologna, Ferrari has always been my passion. I was obsessed with stock and race cars and saw them in real life and on TV all the time.
When I had to choose a profession, I had no doubts that I would do something that would bring me closer to the racing world. After graduating as an engineer, I was invited for an interview at Ferrari – I started working at Gestione Sportiva in May 2000.
Today I am in charge of coordinating a group of engineers and mechanics who build Formula 1 cars for use on the track. The people I work with assemble gearboxes, chassis, suspension, brakes and hydraulic systems for homologation, test bench and track use. We are also responsible for the parts we supply to customer teams. Track work, including pit stops, is also part of our competence.
Question: Tell me about the characteristics of the Hungaroringbaan?
Diego Ioverno: We have been performing at the Hungaroring for almost forty years. The stage takes place in the middle of the summer, usually in the first half of August, so the track is usually hot, but there are also unexpected strong storms.
The track is slow, just like Monaco and Singapore. It is very difficult to overtake, the cars are set up for high downforce, given the large number of slow corners. The short track, the high temperatures, the peculiarities of the curves and the asphalt have led to the use of the C2, C3 and C4 compounds in the stage. Therefore, although overtaking is not easy, one pit stop is usually not enough.
Q: What can be done to prevent the machine and its parts from overheating?
Diego Ioverno: In terms of heat, Hungary is potentially more challenging than France as there are far fewer straights where radiators can cool the power plant, gearbox oil, brakes and other components. Although maximum power is not very important on this track, the heating is not that strong, but you have to take this into account.
On Friday it is important to choose the optimal level of cooling, which ensures reliability and speed. We will perform a correlation between real data and calculations obtained on the simulator. Tire temperature control will also be very important.
Source: F1 News
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