Tatuus iMagazine

36 The Interview/Luca Orlandi Stepping into the future Luca Orlandi, a key component of the Tatuus team, tells us more about the second‐generation Formula 4 car and the future challenges that awaits Tatuus by Mattia Tremolada O ne of the pillars of Tatuus since 2004, Luca Orlandi is leading the Technical Department. The father of recent successful projects like Formula Regional and the second‐generation Formula 4 cars, has the goal of “Transferring my experience and passion for design and mechanics to the people working with them, hoping they will be able to get the same satisfactions that only this environment can provide. After taking his degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Brescia, Orlandi joined Tatuus as a draftsman and designer, he moved through the ranks, becoming a key member of the company’s technical office. We sat down with him to tal about the recent new additions of the Tatuus lineup starting from the second‐generation Formula 4 car, the T‐421, which made its debut in late 2021 and almost monopolised the F4 competitions around the globe. The car features the most modern FIA safety system. How big of a challenge was the introduction of the halo and the other additions like the side anti‐intrusion panels? "Actually, for this project the real challenge was not to integrate the halo, an exercise we had already done with Formula Regional, but to look for a clever solution that would allow us to take some weight off the chassis. Thanks to the changes made by the FIA at a regulatory level, the trick was to integrate the panels within the sidewall lamination of the chassis. This choice provided multiple benefits, not only for reducing weight but also in terms of stiffness and manufacturing economy. To simplify, glued panel involves equipment, specific molds, gluing masks, and the production process is very long and complex. The results are long production times and high costs. The integrated panels solve many of those problems, streamlining procedures and shortening times. Of course, it required a certain amount of effort and a good number of tests in order to be fine‐tuned properly." Are there other unique aspects of the new cars? "The new technical regulations allowed a greater extension of the underbody. The car has a longer wheelbase than the old model, and the underbody surface in the area behind the rear axle was increased. In simple terms, more surface equals more load. In addition, the overhangs from the respective wheel axles of the front and rear wings were increased, which resulted in better load distribution. The greater distance between the wings led to better control of aerodynamic balance, the result being that the car is much more sensitive to aerodynamic set‐up changes and therefore easier to tune. We used the full potential offered by CFD simulations a paid special attention to aerodynamic efficiency, studying and optimizing the internal flows to increase the downforce of the car's body and reduce the efficiency losses of the exposed surfaces."