Collector Ferrari – F310B, the single-seater that relaunched the Scuderia and Schumacher

Find below a free article taken from the AUTOhebdo Collector “1 GP of Ferrari en Formula 1 » for sale on our online store. Enjoy your reading!

Do not start from a blank sheet. In 1996, Ferrari had made new moves on all fronts by changing the chassis, the engine (with a late but beneficial switch to the V10) and its leading driver. Three successes and a second place in the Manufacturers' ranking rewarded this new start. Eager to build on these foundations, the Scuderia then focuses on stability. There F310 designed by British engineer John Barnard was not a bad car, but it was no match for the Williams. It took all the talent of Michael Schumacher, combined with favorable circumstances, to play the leading roles.

For 1997, President Luca di Montezemolo has only one word on his lips: reliability. There is no question of showing up in Melbourne with all the guns and without any significant winter testing, as was the case 12 months earlier. The F310B program is therefore launched well in advance. The letter B attached to the name used in 96 reinforces the idea that this is an evolution, even if visually it contrasts with its predecessor. If the latest creation of the Prancing Horse once again comes from the FD&D pole – the English branch of Ferrari headed by Barnard in Guildford – the major maneuvers accelerated during the winter to repatriate the technical installations to Maranello.

At the end of 1996, Ross Brawn arrived from Benetton with the mission of supervising the construction of new infrastructure and the organization of the future technical department. He will be joined a few months later by Rory Byrne, who already supported him as chief designer in his previous role.

What about Barnard's future in red in all this? “Personally, I would like to continue the adventure in order to reap the fruits of my labor”, assured the person concerned during the launch of the F310B. However, the man is said to have been forced to have accepted serious compromises in terms of design and in advanced discussion with Cheers Grand Prize. “There is a 50% chance that he will stay with us,” confided Luca di Montezemolo during the same pre-season presentation.

Measured objectives and bitter epilogue

The elegant president is also less lyrical and grandiloquent than usual when discussing the objectives of the 1997 campaign: four victories, one more than at the end of the previous one. Di Montezemolo has learned not to overpromise. Unlike Barnard, Brawn and Byrne agreed to move to Maranello. Asked about his remote collaboration with England, the new technical director assures that there will be no ego war. “John and I know each other well,” assures Brawn. In F1, you need strong personalities to succeed, and they need to work together. »

Rory Byrne and Luca di Montezemolo in 2012. © DPPI

However, the first signs of the Barnard-Ferrari divorce did not take long to appear. “Something strange happened when I arrived. Byrne told us recently (see Grand Témoin interview from the 2000s. Editor’s note). The team was testing at Estoril (Portugal. Editor’s note) During my first week on the job we encountered a problem with the front suspension. I tried to reach John Barnard on the phone, because there were no calculation tools in Italy. But I only had access to his secretary. I never managed to talk to him. That year we drove a car designed by John Barnard and developed by us. At the same time, and as the season progressed, we were able to expand our design and research capabilities in Maranello to design the car of 1998. Ross was very active in this project. »

This flurry of effort will make the outcome of the championship even more painful for the men of Maranello. Because if the F310B is, intrinsically, not as competitive as the Williams FW19, particularly in terms of aerodynamics, it is sufficiently efficient to allow Schumacher to do more than compete with Jacques Villeneuve, without necessarily having to rely on an incredible scenario. The Red Baron even enters the Jerez final as leader of the Drivers' championship with eight podiums including five victories under his belt. We know the rest.

Legitimate sorrow should not make us forget the great successes of the 1997 season in the Italian clan. At the end of this pivotal and decisive year for the future, Maranello is preparing to have facilities worthy of the name to develop a high-performance single-seater from A to Z in one and the same place. Under the leadership of Jean Todt, the Dream Team at the origin of the golden period at the beginning of the following century is finally complete. A link between two technical departments, the F310B ultimately comes away with honors and confirms the renewal of Ferrari by announcing the successes to come.