Ferrari launches 2010 F1 car

Front View

Ferrari christened its 2010 formula one car the 'F10' as it was revealed on Thursday during a lavish launch at the famous team's Maranello factory.

With a front end resembling last year's fast Red Bull car, it could not as scheduled be shaken down in the afternoon by Felipe Massa due to icy conditions at the local Fiorano test track.

Ferrari will try again to test the car for the first time on Friday, but otherwise it will now be sent to Valencia for the beginning of the official tests on Monday.

Fernando Alonso was also present for the launch, while Giancarlo Fisichella admitted that his hopes of returning to the grid next season have past.

"It's better to stay here as the third driver," the 37-year-old Roman was quoted as saying in a Reuters news report.

Ferrari's latest F1 car copies many elements that featured on various cars last year, including their new front wing. The end plates thereof are visibly inspired by the Brawn BGP001 that won the championship last year. The front wing attaches to the nose with sculpted pillars, extending on their trailing edge to seamlessly merge onto the nose that is now much higher than on last year's Ferrari.

Also worth mentioning is the position of the camera which is now fixed on the front wing support, rather than on the nose itself.

Side View

The nose features bulges similar to last year's Red Bull RB5, and more teams are expected to copy this features introduced by Adrian Newey's Red Bull Engineering team.

More towards the rear end, the sidepods are generally similar to last year's car in the way they are undercut and their reduction in surface towards the rear end of the car. The upper sides however now slope upwards to provide a better position for the cooling radiators, a feature that resembles that of the Benetton of 1995.

The most important change however may be the longer wheelbase which will allow the team to better set an even weight distribution. Even with the narrower front tires, it seems that Ferrari really wanted more weight to the front of the car, additionally as it will be vital this year to preserve car balance under high fuel loads.

The choice of using this building for the single-seater presentation underlines the close connection between the two souls of the company and the constant technology transfer from the race track to the road, but also the fact that Ferrari is the only car manufacturer still in Formula 1.

The Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, the only team which has been participating in every Championship, is getting ready for the challenge of the 61st Championship. This year the Scuderia Ferrari is represented by the Spanish driver Fernando Alonso and the Brazilian Felipe Massa.

Fernando Alonso is positive that both he and Ferrari stand a genuine chance of sealing the World Championship titles this year as Formula 1 boasts its largest field since the mid-1990s. Alongside former sparring partner Felipe Massa, the Spaniard is confident that the all-Latin pairing can prove to be a successful partnership.

With Alonso having becoming double Champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006 before experiencing several wheel-to-wheel dices with Massa the following year, the duo's most public disagreement came in the aftermath of the 2007 European Grand Prix, in which the McLaren and Ferrari touched whilst battling for the lead.

This is the first time for me, to be at a presentation for Ferrari, and it's a big emotion for me," Alonso said in Maranello on Thursday following the unveiling of Ferrari's F10.

"I want to thank the whole team because they've worked really hard over the last few months to create this dream, this new car, and I also want to thank the sponsors and partners as they have also worked hard and with a lot of passion."

With four Champions and 11 race winners lining up on this year's 26-car grid for what promises to be a classic year, Alonso is determined to take the titles back to Italy.

"We're ready to take this challenge and the responsibility to bring it to 100 percent of its potential," the Oviedo driver continued. "Felipe and I will be a very strong team and we hope that we'll make all the Ferrari supporters around the world very proud to see this car winning the championship."

Felipe Massa has explained that his life-threatening accident in qualifying for last year's Hungarian Grand Prix has made him only stronger as he returns to fight for the championship in 2010. With Kimi Räikkönen having switched to rallying, the Brazilian lines up alongside another Champion in Fernando Alonso.

After his crash in Hungary resulted in an induced coma plus a prolonged convalescence which included plastic surgery to treat the scar on his left eyebrow, Massa returned to Formula 1 as a remarkable spectator at the Brazilian Grand Prix but is determined to make a strong impression on the track this year.

It's undoubtedly a great pleasure to be here at another Ferrari presentation," the 2008 championship runner-up commented in Maranello on Thursday. "It's a special moment because last year was very difficult – I had the accident and everything else that happened.

"I'm proud and very happy and feel that I want to work more than ever, so I really hope that this will be a very competitive car and that we'll be fighting for the championship – we are really willing to do this and I'm happy to be here."

Stefano Domenicali admits that 2010 will be a vital season for the Ferrari team, which has lost out in the Drivers' Championship for the past two seasons. Also attempting to retake the Constructors' crown it lost to Brawn last year, the Maranello team welcomes Fernando Alonso to race alongside Felipe Massa.

With Massa having been injured and out of action for the final seven races of last year's campaign, Ferrari presented a brand-new line-up on Thursday in comparison to the Räikkönen-Fisichella partnership which represented the Scuderia at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of 2009.

"This championship will be a very important one for us," Team Principal Domenicali said as the new F10 model was revealed. "The last, for different reasons, was not very positive and that is why we're looking to be competitive for this one and that's what Ferrari deserves to be.

"We have two new drivers – why two new drivers? Fernando Alonso is a twice World Champion and we say that after that second one he'll have a third; he is already among the big champions of F1, it is the right moment for him, for us – he wants to be successful and we want to repeat what the team concept is.

"Felipe – we are talking about the new version of Felipe but after such a dramatic championship like last year, with the accident in Hungary and such a fantastic season, he has all the assets to prove that he is very successful; he can prove that he wants to restart his path to his destiny, which was interrupted it in Hungary.

"Good luck to both of them."

Although due to different motivations, the two drivers can’t wait to get onto the track. Fernando Alonso is eager to drive the red car three months after the announcement of him joining the team of Maranello as of this season, while Felipe Massa will be back racing after his long absence after the dreadful accident during the qualifying at the Hungarian GP.

Felipe will drive the new single-seater on the Fiorano track for a promotional video, weather conditions permitting. Otherwise Felipe will drive on Friday and, shouldn’t the weather conditions improve, the debut on the track will happen on Monday at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit on the occasion of the first official test session in Formula 1. The test session’s program will see Felipe on the track on the first day, followed on Tuesday and Wednesday by Fernando Alonso behind the wheel of the new single-seater.

Technical Specifications

Chassis

Carbon-fiber and honeycomb composite structure

Ferrari longitudinal gearbox

Limited-slip differential

Semiautomatic sequential electronically controlled gearbox – quick shift

Number of gears: 7 + Reverse

Brembo ventilated carbon-fiber disc brakes

Independent suspension, push-rod activated torsion springs front and rear

Weight with water, lubricant and driver: 620 kg

BBS Wheels (front and rear: 13"

Engine

Type: 056

Number of cylinders: 8

Cylinder block in sand cast aluminum: V 90°

Number of valves: 32

Pneumatic distribution

Total displacement: .2398 cm3

Piston bore: 98 mm

Weight: > 95 kg

Electronic injection and ignition

Fuel: Shell V-Power

Lubricant: Shell Helix Ultra