It hurts to have to put on weight to make hybrid supercars

It might seem easy for Ferrari to incorporate hybrid technology to its latest SF90 Stradale supercar. After all, the success of LaFerrari shows that its real customers are ready to change and that hybrid technology has its place in the stables of Maranello.

However, the use of an effective hybrid technology is not without compromise and without sacrifices. In fact, Ferrari's technical director, Michael Leiters, confirmed that having to gain weight because of hybrid technology "hurts" in an interview with Coach.

Having to add weight meant a lot of things for performance cars. As speed ambassadors, weight is important because it affects both the acceleration and the handling of the car. Imagine having to push a basket with more than its usual content; You will surely have to deploy more effort to advance the cart – and that's what Ferrari had to solve with the SF90 Stradale's design.

Leiters explained that it was difficult to compensate for the addition of 551 pounds (250 kg) to a Ferrari. They have been able to fix some of the issues, such as the use of carbon fiber in many parts of the car, but in the end we can not do more. The acceleration is therefore hampered. Thus, the combined torque of 986 horsepower (735 kilowatts) and 590 lb-ft (800 Newton-meters) is very healthy.

The extra weight of the Stradale SF90 also posed problems to his agility, which was resolved thanks to the relatively short wheelbase and low center of gravity of the PHEV supercar. Finally, the two front axle motors totaled 70 kg (165 lbs), which was solved by the vectorization of the couple in order to obtain the same driving emotions in a Ferrari.

The design of the SF90 Stradale was not an easy task, but it's good to see how the Prancing Horse has managed to overcome the obstacles to bring us the most powerful Ferrari … to date.