Ferrari has launched its 2011 car, the F150, at its base in Maranello, Italy. It is the first new car to be launched this year and, weather permitting, will be in action this afternoon on the team’s private Fiorano test track for promotional filming. The car carries the hopes of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, who finished second and sixth in the drivers’ title last year.
Although the car looks similar to the 2010 model, with a slightly wider mid-section to accommodate its KERS unit, technical director Aldo Costa said the ban on double diffusers has required a completely new approach.
““Due to the new rules the car should be a proper cut compared to the previous one, with new concepts and lines of development,”” he said. ““As far as the looks are concerned the rules keep them quite unaltered. The cars look like the ones from last year, but from a technical point of view they will be really different.”“
When asked what the biggest challenge had been in the F150’s development, he said: ““Starting from scratch with the car’s rear, because the double diffuser and the F-duct are gone and there have been some clarifications regarding the car’s underbody: these were the main challenges and why we had to start from scratch rethinking the whole project.”” Tehran Times
“F150 was created with a simple aim,” Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said. “Our goal is to win the championships. We know it won’t be easy, but that is definitely want we are aiming for.”
Alonso came agonizingly close to achieving that aim last year, when he had a chance to clinch the title at each of the last two races. But he first failed in Brazil and was then overtaken by Sebastian Vettel after a failed pit stop strategy by Ferrari in Abu Dhabi.
Going into his second season with Ferrari, the two-time F1 champion said he’s feeling more comfortable with his surroundings.
“I think I know the team better now and I feel far more integrated into the team,” Alonso said. “The development through 2010 was crucial to the new car.
“I’m feeling very motivated. 2010 was an interesting year for me. It was my first with Ferrari and I enjoyed the atmosphere. 2011 will be an important year with a new challenge after changes to the rules. We have to commit to everything we do and I think we are up to the challenge.” The Canadian Press
The team believe the new car—named to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Italian unification—will see the Scuderia back at the top of the standings in the coming campaign.
“This year we have to win and we will do our best to win,” Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo told reporters.
Ferrari’s driver line-up remains the same for 2011 and team principal Stefano Domenicali insisted that Spanish two-time world champion Alonso and Brazil’s Massa were ready for the new season and had put last year’s disappointments firmly behind them.
“They are very motivated,” he said. “I have to say that they understand that this is, for many reasons, a very important year for them and they know that we all have to give it our all.”
Renault, Sauber and Team Lotus—a team sponsored by CNN—will be the next teams to unveil their cars on January 31, with world champions Red Bull, Mercedes and Toro Rosso following on February 1. CNN International
| 
|