Ferrari F399

The Ferrari F399 was the car that the Ferrari team competed with for the 1999 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Rory Byrne, Aldo Costa and Nikolas Tombazis with Ross Brawn playing a vital role in leading the production of the car as the team's Technical Director and Paolo Martinelli leading the engine design. The F399 was almost identical to the previous season's F300, with small detail changes (new front wing, wheel tethers, waisted sidepods, an improved exhaust system and the use of Bridgestone tyres with four grooves instead of three). It was initially driven by Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine, with Mika Salo substituting for Schumacher when he broke his leg at Silverstone.[1]

Ferrari F399
Eddie Irvine driving the Ferrari F399 at the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorFerrari
Designer(s)Ross Brawn (Technical Director)
Rory Byrne (Chief Designer)
Aldo Costa (Head of Design)
Nikolas Tombazis (Head of Aerodynamics)
PredecessorF300
SuccessorF1-2000
Technical specifications
Chassiscarbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Suspension (front)double wishbones, pushrod
Suspension (rear)double wishbones, pushrod
EngineFerrari Tipo048/B/C 80-degree V10
TransmissionFerrari seven-speed longitudinal sequential semi-automatic
FuelShell
TyresBridgestone
Competition history
Notable entrantsScuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Notable drivers3. Michael Schumacher
3. Mika Salo
4. Eddie Irvine
Debut1999 Australian Grand Prix
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF.Laps
1661736
Constructors' Championships1 (1999)
Drivers' Championships0

Although the team's quest to win their first drivers' title since 1979 was halted by Schumacher's injury and the faster speed of the McLaren MP4/14, they did manage to clinch their first constructors' title since 1983.[2]

1999 season
The Ferrari F399's Bargeboard that proved controversial in the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix that season.

Early in the season the car showed huge performance with Irvine winning the opening round in Australia while Schumacher collected podiums along with wins at Imola and Monaco, thereby making Ferrari a serious threat to the McLaren duo of Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard throughout much of the 1999 season.[3]

While Irvine would also go on to win back-to-back victories at Austria and Germany along with the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix, Häkkinen and McLaren had shown great consistency over the season despite 4 retirements over the course of the season. Ferrari's championship aspirations also took a beating after Schumacher had broken his leg at Silverstone, resulting in Ferrari briefly replacing him with Mika Salo during the midway point of the season. Salo performed well, handing victory to Irvine in Germany and finishing third at Monza.[4]

The team were briefly excluded from Malaysia after the stewards found out that their bargeboards were illegal, meaning that Häkkinen and McLaren were effectively handed their respective championships by default.[5] However, Ferrari managed to appeal against the FIA's decision in court and both of their drivers were subsequently reinstated.[6]

After the season had ended, Häkkinen had claimed the driver's title by two points from Irvine while Ferrari claimed the constructor's title by four points from McLaren.[7]

Chassis, transmission and engine specs

The chassis of the Ferrari F399 was almost identical to its predecessor, the F300. It had a reinforced carbon-fibre and honeycomb monocoque structure that could protect the driver from most accidents. The engine was an MR(Mid-engine, Rear wheel drive) layout.[8]

Changes from the F300 was that front wing was slightly modified, the sidepods were waisted, and the exhaust was improved in order so that Ferrari could push harder in their fight with McLaren.

The suspension for the front and rear areas of the car were the pushrod/double wishbone suspension systems that still exist today in Formula 1. The car also has wheel tethers on each wheel to prevent the tires from hitting the driver's head, a regulation that is still used by Formula One to this day.

The engine is an 750 BHP (552 KW), 80-degree 3.0 litre V10 engine manufactured by Ferrari called the Tipo048/B/C. It also bears a 7-shift transmission that was in all Formula One cars until the teams started using 8-shift transmission gearboxes since the 2014 season began.

The car also used Shell fuel to power its engine while the tyres, which were designed by Bridgestone, now had 4 grooves on all 4 tyres instead of 3 grooves on the front tyres. The new tyres with four grooves were a new rule change for the 1999 season and onward in the V10 era of the sport.[9]

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points WCC
1999 Ferrari Ferrari 048 V10 B AUS BRA SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR AUT GER HUN BEL ITA EUR MAL JPN 128 1st
Michael Schumacher 8 2 1 1 3 Ret 5 DNS 2 2
Mika Salo 9 2 12 7 3 Ret
Eddie Irvine 1 5 Ret 2 4 3 6 2 1 1 3 4 6 7 1 3
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References
  1. "Gallery: Ferrari launch 'Michael 50' Exhibition". FormulaSpy.com. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  2. Henry, Alan (1999). Autocourse 1999-2000. Richmond: Hazleton. ISBN 1874557349. OCLC 42659195.
  3. "Ferrari F399 – A Car That Ended the Drought for the Italian Team". www.snaplap.net. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  4. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/interviews/2018/8/sunday-conversation--mika-salo-on-missing-out-on-that-gp-victory.html
  5. Roebuck, Nigel (December 20, 2013). "1999 Title Decider Farce". Motorsport Magazine.
  6. Petric, Darjan (2017-09-26). "Malaysian GP 1999. full race – Irvine wins at Schumi's comeback". MAXF1net. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  7. S, Alexander. "Ferrari F399 - A Car That Ended the Drought for the Italian Team". SnapLap. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  8. Silenzi, Claudio (2015). "Software Engineering in Ferrari F1". 2015 IEEE/ACM 37th IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering. p. 3. doi:10.1109/icse.2015.22. ISBN 9781479919345.
  9. "Testing intensifies as new cars appear". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
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