Ferrari late on Tuesday unveiled its challenger for the 2020 Formula One World Championship, the SF1000.
The “SF” in the name stands for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari's F1 team, while the “1000” signifies that Ferrari this season will be the first team in F1 to race in its 1,000th grand prix. The Italian team was there for the first F1 race held 70 years ago and has been a mainstay ever since.
Ferrari SF1000 2020 Formula One race car
The reveal took place at the Romolo Valli Municipal Theater in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and included appearances by Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively, last season. The championship went to Mercedes-AMG's Lewis Hamilton who this year will be chasing his seventh title—the record amount held by Michael Schumacher.
The rules haven't changed much from the last season since 2021 is due to see a major shakeup, so the SF1000 is more of an evolution of the previous SF90 which often proved the fastest car on the track and helped secure Ferrari second place in the Constructors' Championship behind Mercedes. The main focus with the SF1000 was improving reliability, Team Principal Mattia Binotto said at the reveal.
Ferrari SF1000 2020 Formula One race car
Power units are the same as last year, meaning a 1.6-liter turbocharged V-6 working with two motor-generators—one mounted on the driveline and the other integrated with the turbocharger. The engine is allowed to spin to a maximum 15,000 rpm while the two motor-generators can spin at up to 50,000 (driveline) and 125,000 rpm (turbocharger), respectively.
The car's monocoque structure is constructed from carbon fiber and honeycomb composite materials. The engine, mounted longitudinally behind the cabin, serves as a structural component, as does the 8-speed sequential transmission which also features longitudinal mounting. The wheels measure 13 inches across and are connected at the front via push-rod suspension and at the rear via a pull-rod setup.
Ferrari SF1000 2020 Formula One race car
The SF1000's next stop will be the pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, which starts February 19. The first race will be the Australian Grand Prix on March 15.
There will be a record 22 rounds this year, including the new Vietnamese Grand Prix in April and the return of the Dutch Grand Prix in May, so teams will have their work cut out for them more than usual.
