Ferrari Reveal ‘Evolutionary’ F138

Ferrari took the covers off of their new and ‘evolutionary’ F138 machine earlier today at Maranello in Italy, as the Italian giants begin their preparations for the 2013 season ahead. After coming so very close to Championship glory last season with Fernando Alonso, the Scuderia is hopeful 2013 will be a successful year for the team.

Amid a flurry of car launches throughout the next few days, Ferrari’s new F138 challenger was unveiled to the world of Formula 1 earlier this morning revealing what the team are dubbing an ‘evolutionary’ version of their F12012 machine from last season. This is the 59th Formula 1 car produced by Ferrari, and the Italian squad is optimistic that success can be secured with this new machine.

Naturally the car has remained the traditional color of red for the new season, despite some minor additions of white and black on several parts of the car. The F138 has also undergone several modifications in the design department, with the team opting to utilize the modesty panel to hide the unsightly step-nose design as well as a revised exhaust and sidepod layout. Unlike last season the Maranello-based squad hope to start the year in winning fashion, instead of a repeat of 2012’s disastrously uncompetitive opening race weekend in Australia.

“There are areas of development on the car which will be very important, from now until the end of the year.” Explained Ferrari’s team principal, Stefano Domenicali, “We have a clear goal, which is to give Fernando and Felipe a competitive car, at the highest level. Then, it will be our drivers and the team that can make the difference. Our approach from the first race on must be the right one and we must be mentally ready to deal with very tense moments. We definitely don’t want to find ourselves having to fight like last year to close down a 1.6 second gap to the fastest.”

Felipe Massa will become the first person to drive the new Ferrari F138 once pre-season testing gets underway next week at Jerez, before handing over driving duties to the team’s new development driver Pedro de la Rosa. Two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso has elected to skip the first, therefore allowing Felipe Massa the opportunity to begin what Ferrari hope will be a prosperous new season.

“The first test is very useful to understand the direction in which we should go and where we need to do the most work,” said Felipe Massa. “Last year, I had a very positive second half to the season and I really want to get back on track and continue with the work that has seen me improve a lot over the past years. My aim is always the same, to give my all, right from the start of the season.”

Ferrari last won a season opening Grand Prix back in 2010, when Fernando Alonso triumphed on his debut for the Scuderia in leading home a 1-2 finish ahead of eventual Champion Sebastian Vettel. The Maranello-based outfit will be hoping for a repeat of such success next month at Melbourne, when Ferrari resume what they hope will be a season-long Championship battle.

Picture Copyright © Ferrari

Felipe Massa Emotional After Amazing Home Podium

Felipe Massa struggled to fight back the tears after a superlative 3rd place finish at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix, after the local hero initially struggled throughout the early stages of the season. This lack of competitiveness at the start of the season created widespread speculation that Massa would be replaced for 2013.

However, as the season progressed Felipe Massa managed to pick up his performance. After a tough 2011 season, which saw Massa become the first Ferrari driver not to step onto the podium in an entire season since Ivan Capelli back in 1992, the Brazilian driver was in desperate need of success to keep in his career at Maranello alive. As the season progressed and Felipe Massa didn’t, speculation began to gather serious momentum that the Brazilian driver would be replaced for 2013.

These allegations, which grew more wilder each week, linked many different drivers to Felipe Massa’s Ferrari seat, including Paul di Resta, Sergio Perez, Robert Kubica and even McLaren driver Jenson Button. However, after Felipe Massa finished 4th at the British Grand Prix, the 31-year-old’s performance gradually began to improve. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Felipe Massa stormed to his first podium finish since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix with 2nd behind eventual race winner Sebastian Vettel.

Felipe Massa’s podium finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday was only the Brazilian driver’s second of the season, in comparison to team-mate Fernando Alonso’s thirteenth. It was also Massa’s first return to the podium at Interlagos since his bittersweet Brazilian Grand Prix victory in 2008, after he lost the Championship battle to Lewis Hamilton. These combined stats made for an emotional appearance from Felipe Massa, who was struggling to fight back the tears on the rostrum.

“I think the second part of the year was the preparation for next year.” Explained Felipe Massa, “It’s such an emotion to race here. I think the race was really fantastic. For sure, it could have been a better position than what I finished but anyway I didn’t know what to say. Just crying and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to feel, it was so amazing.”

Despite the season-long rumors linking many other drivers to Felipe Massa’s seat at Maranello, the Scuderia decided to retain the Brazilian driver for one more season. This will see Fernando Alonso once again parter Felipe Massa in 2013, as the two continue to strive for supremacy. If Felipe Massa can start 2013 as he ended 2012, then a victory could only be just around the corner. This would amazingly be his first victory since the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Felipe Massa: “I’m Extremely Happy With This Agreement”

Felipe Massa is delighted with the new one-year contract extension which has recently been announced by the Scuderia, an agreement which will see the Brazilian driver remain with the Scuderia for one more season until the end of 2013. This has therefore ended ongoing speculation over his immediate future within the sport.

After months of speculation over his future with Ferrari, which as seen Felipe Massa yield slightly uncompetitive results in comparison to team-mate Fernando Alonso, the Scuderia have seen fit to extend the Brazilian’s contract at Maranello for a further year despite strong rumors that both Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta were potential candidates to replace him.

“I’m extremely happy with this agreement,” enthused Felipe Massa, after confirmation of his contract extension with the Scuderia. “Ferrari is my sporting family and I’ve always raced in Formula 1 with engines built in Maranello: I can’t see myself at the wheel of a single-seater powered by other engines. I want to first of all thank president [Luca di] Montezemolo and Stefano Domenicali, who have put their faith in me and have always supported me, even at the most difficult times. Both of them, the team and every fan can be certain that I will do everything within my possibilities to help the Scuderia in reaching the goals it sets for itself every year.”

At the Japanese Grand Prix several weeks ago, Felipe Massa finally returned to the podium after a competitive 2nd place behind eventual race winner Sebastian Vettel. With Fernando Alonso retiring on the opening lap, this saw Massa bring home valuable points for the Maranello-based outfit as they strive to catch reigning Constructors’ Champions Red Bull. Last weekend in Korea, Massa continued his competitiveness with 4th, albeit after being issued team orders in the latter stages of the race ordering him to back-off and not overtake team-mate Fernando Alonso for 3rd.

Despite an uncompetitive start to the season for Felipe Massa, which saw him start 16th at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari’s team principal Stefano Domenicali has expressed great satisfaction in signing Felipe Massa for another year alongside unarguably one of the most complete drivers in the sport, Fernando Alonso.

“We are happy to have lengthened the relationship with Felipe for one further year,” explained Stefano Domenicali, who hinted that Massa would stay with the team after the Korean Grand Prix. “He has been part of our family for more than 10 years and he has demonstrated, especially in this last part of the season, to be again competitive at the maximum levels, as is expected of every driver at the wheel of a Ferrari. We have always supported Felipe, even during the most difficult moments of his career, and we are certain of his worth and that he will be able to repay the faith that has again been put on him.”

This announcement has fueled further speculation that Ferrari could well be lining up Sebastian Vettel to replace Felipe Massa for the 2014 season, despite strong denial from both the Scuderia and Red Bull. This would once again see a race-winning German driving for Ferrari, but could the reigning World Champion remain a dominant factor in the sport alongside Fernando Alonso?

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Heikki Kovalainen Set To Move To Ferrari In 2013?

Rumors circulating in the Finnish press have indicated that current Caterham driver and former McLaren driver, Heikki Kovalainen, could be on his way to Maranello to team-mate Fernando Alonso for 2013. This comes after ongoing allegations that Ferrari are striving to find a replacement for the underperforming Felipe Massa.

Felipe Massa has once again failed to shine this season for Ferrari.

For the last several seasons, Brazilian driver Felipe Massa has endured highly uncompetitive results in comparison to team-mate Fernando Alonso. Whereas the 2-time World Champion has already taken 9 victories with the Scuderia since his debut with the team in 2010, Massa has failed to win since 2008 and has even failed to finish on the podium since 2010. These results have sparked rumors within the paddock that Ferrari are searching for a viable replacement for the Brazilian driver, with many drivers including Adrian Sutil, Nico Hulkenberg, Paul di Resta, Mark Webber and even Jenson Button being thrown into the mix of potential candidates throughout the season.

However, according to Finnish broadcaster MTV3, Heikki Kovalainen has become the latest candidate to replace Felipe Massa. Rumors suggest that Kovalainen’s management have been invited to Maranello to discuss a possible drive for the Scuderia for the 2013 season, a move which would see the Finn leave Caterham after three years as their number one driver.

Heikki Kovalainen has also been linked to a drive with Lotus, after Finland’s MTV3 reported that the 30-year-old had been in contact with the Enstone-based outfit. Kovalainen last drove for Lotus (then known as Renault) during his debut season in 2007, before switching to McLaren to team-mate Lewis Hamilton in 2008. Regardless of whether Heikki Kovalainen moves to Ferrari next season, it’s undeniable that the Scuderia are eager to replace Felipe Massa who has failed to step onto the podium since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team & Pirelli

Ferrari Headquarters Struck By Earthquake

Ferrari have suspended work at their Maranello headquarters after an earthquake struck Northern Italy on Tuesday, with the centre of the earthquake only 40 kilometers north of Bologna. With at least 9 people already confirmed to have lost their lives in the disaster by Italian media sources, Ferrari thought it necessary to close their headquarters as many workers have friends and/or family who have been involved in the atrocity.

“After the earthquake, working activity has been suspended for today,” Explained Ferrari in post on the social networking site Twitter. “All workers and employees have been allowed to join their families.”

Ducati have also halted work at their base, which is located nearer to the centre of the earthquake. They too explained their decision with a statement on their Twitter feed, “Ducati today is closed due to the earthquake. People are OK, we are verifying the factory. We feel very close to all the families and people that live near here for this difficult moment.”

This is the second earthquake to strike the same region of Northern Italy, occurring only ten days after the previous one and measuring a magnitude of 5.8 on the richter scale. Both major cities of Milan and Bologna felt the tremors early this morning, and has left people buried under the rubble. The Ferrari factory will remained closed throughout the remainder of the day.

Picture Copyright © Ferrari & AP 

Alan Jones Believes Mark Webber Should Race For Ferrari

Former Australian World Champion Alan Jones believes Mark Webber should consider a move to Ferrari if the opportunity to replace Felipe Massa arises. After taking his second Monaco Grand Prix victory last weekend, the Australian driver showed his worth to any top team on the grid.

“Mark has already done one of the two things that most Formula 1 drivers would like to do, and that’s win Monaco.” Explained Alan Jones, in a podcast put together by the organizers of the Australian Grand Prix. “The other one is to drive for Ferrari. I’m sure he’d have a look at it. If he goes to Ferrari, it could be a breath of fresh air – it’s very prestigious and something really good to have on your CV. He gets on extremely well with [Fernando] Alonso, so maybe that could be a good way for him to go.”

However, if Mark Webber was to make the move to the Maranello-based team, racing alongside the dominant figure of Fernando Alonso would undoubtedly be a difficult task to undertake. However, this was also thought about the move Jenson Button completed from Brawn GP to McLaren for the 2010 season, yet by 2011 Button had become the No. 1 driver in McLaren as Lewis Hamilton suffered a less-than-successful season.

Alan Jones also believes that Mark Webber already has his work cutout racing alongside Sebastian Vettel, and that Alonso wouldn’t be any more difficult as a team-mate for the 35-year-old. If Webber was to make the move to Ferrari, he would become the first Australian driver to race for the Italian outfit in the history of Formula 1.

With his contract with Red Bull coming to an end this season, and Felipe Massa’s seat at Ferrari coming under serious scrutiny after a disastrous start to the season, these rumors could well begin to gather momentum as the season unfolds.

Sutil And Petrov Poised To Become Ferrari Test Drivers?

 

With Jules Bianchi joining Force India, Ferrari had reportedly signed GP2 driver Davide Rigon as their new test driver. However reports from Maranello have emerged that Ferrari deem the Italian as unready to step into Fernando Alonso’s or Felipe Massa’s seat if the necessity arises.

With this in mind, speculation has arisen that Ferrari could be poised to sign German Adrian Sutil and Russian Vitaly Petrov instead, with both drivers’ seemingly without a drive for the approaching 2012 season. Both would become the Maranello based teams test and reserver drivers’, replacing Jules Bianchi.

Russian driver Vitaly Petrov, who was replaced at Lotus by Romain Grosjean for 2012 and who was reported to be in talks with Caterham about a possible drive, has played down these rumors, “If you want to go to Ferrari, you don’t want to go for one year only,” insisted the Russian. “I can’t say whether it has been discussed or not, but for me I think it is too early to go to Ferrari. Maybe in one or two years the time will be right.”

Adrian Sutil, who is coming off the back of the court case in Munich, has remained silent about a possible move to Ferrari, however shortly after his court case he did hint at possibly having a year away from motor sport. Whether the lure of becoming a Ferrari driver is too great for him to turn down or not, time will tell.

Both drivers’ were on the grid in 2011, and scored points consistently throughout the season. It is undeniable that the only option for them both is to accept a test driver role, as all of the seats for the 12 teams on the grid have now eventually been snapped up.

Ferrari Launch Event Cancelled Due To Heavy Snow

Ferrari’s launch event which was planned for tomorrow morning has been cancelled due to their Fiorano circuit currently under a thick blanket of snow. The event was due to include a shakedown of their new 2012 car, as well as opportunities for filming purposes. 

Today Ferrari announced they had completely cancelled the event, with their new 2012 car set to be launched online. The usual ritual for Ferrari is to have their new car complete a certain number of shakedown laps on their own Fiorano test circuit, using the time to film promotional videos and take further pictures of their car in action.

Instead the car will be launched online, along with pictures, interviews and technical analysis similar to what was seen yesterday as McLaren launched their new car online. 

“It is still snowing heavily here in Maranello. Therefore, the launch ceremony of the new F1 car has been cancelled,” was what the team announced on their Twitter page earlier today.

Felipe Massa will be the first driver to test the car once pre-season testing begins at Jerez next week.

Ferrari Pre-Season Plans Could Be Affected By Snow

Ferrari’s pre-season testing plans could be dealt a misfortunate blow by the form of snow which has struck their Fiorano circuit at Maranello. With Ferrari set to shake down their car on Friday, it looks unlikely the snow will melt in time. 

The new Ferrari is set to be launched at Maranello on Friday, with the team then taking their new challenger out onto their Fiorano circuit shortly after for some promotional filming and photo shoots. 

With the heavy snow fall covering the entire circuit in thick snow, an official statement from Ferrari has conceded that the running of their new car is unlikely to take place, “It now looks as though there is little chance of carrying out the planned promotional filming featuring action shots of the car at the Fiorano track. Even if the snow was to stop, it’s hard to imagine that the escape roads could be cleared of their blanket of snow which is gradually building up.”

With McLaren launching their new car on earlier today, Ferrari will be keen to get testing underway in preparation for the coming season. Testing kicks off next week at Jerez, with Ferrari confirming that Felipe Massa be the first driver to drive the new car.