Ferrari had to contend with an online unveiling of its new car for the 2012 F1 season instead of the grand event it had planned to conduct for 300 people. The official showcasing that was scheduled to be held at the car maker's Maranello base was called off due to a snowstorm. Therefore, a toned-down Internet presentation was hosted to pull the covers of the completely revised Formula One car of the team. Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the president of Ferrari, commented, "It's a bit of a unique presentation due to the snow, but I hope it brings us luck."
The manufacturer has returned to its original nomenclature by christening the new car as F2012. Last year, it had named the F1 racer as F150 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.
With only one win race in its kitty last year, Ferrari had begun developing the revised vehicle for 2012 in the middle of the 2011 racing season. It had stressed upon the need of streamlining the aerodynamics of the car for making it more competitive on the circuit.
The car has been termed aggressive and ugly by many, though the car is technically sounder than its predecessor. On this, Ferrari's team principal Stefano Domenicali said, "There were some difficult choices behind the F2012, but they represent our style of looking forward. Technically, there are a lot of new features, both mechanical and in the car's form.”
He stressed that the team was looking to win rather than appease those who valued style over performance. Domenicalli quipped, "Actually it's not really so pretty from my personal perspective, but this is a value that doesn't count in F1. The fact that it's ugly or very nice doesn't count a lot, the most important thing is the car has to be performing. I am sure our car will be winning right from the beginning."
Following the team's decision to alter the car as compared to its past versions, the manufacturer included flaps on the front wings and decreased the aerodynamic features on the sides of the vehicle. The 'fundamentally revised' vehicle complies with F1's new regulations regarding exhaust pipes and engine mapping. The platypus nose of the car, which had become a topic of discussion amongst many when Caterham had released a similarly designed concept just a week ago, remains its highlight.
Last season, the team grabbed third position on the constructors' standings while its drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa stood fourth and sixth on the driver's chart, respectively. This is in contrast to Red Bull, which won the constructors' title second year in a row while its driver Sebastian Vettel captured his second successive driver's title.
The 2012 season commences with next week's test session in Jerez, Spain, while the first race will be held on 18th March, 2012 at Melbourne, Australia. The drivers have 12 days to get acclimatised to the new car, assess its characteristics, reliability and get used to the new tyres.
Alonso said, "We've got to be optimistic and confident in ourselves at this point of the year. There's still a lot of intense work to do, many months where we've got to be consistent, determined and united as a team."
His teammate Massa, who has not scored a win since his fateful accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009, commented "I'm very confident and convinced that I can do well. This is a very important year for me and for the entire squad." His contract with Ferrari will come to an end when this season finishes.
On Friday, it was also announced that Banco Santader had renewed its sponsorship deal with Ferrari. The deal ends at 2017, underscoring its connection with Alonso, whose contract with the team runs out at the end of the 2016 season.
