Though hailed as an 'aggressive' car, attention is bound to be focused on another, rather ugly, 'boxer's nose' and radical front-end design.Having been forced by snowy weather to cancel their plan to launch their new car in front of an invited audience, Ferrari instead took the wraps off online, with the 'Scuderia Ferrari 2012 single-seater' unveiled on the team's website.
"We know the future of the company depends on what we do here today," said team boss Stefano Domenicali. No pressure then.
The car was unveiled by drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa and, according to first impressions, is far closer in look to the Caterham CT01 than the relatively-conventional McLaren.
"This is something that was part of my dreams, I really trust the team and the new car," said Massa. "It looks really, really aggressive."
That's one way of putting it.
The car's most distinctive feature is another 'boxer's nose', with the car a radical departure from Ferrari's designs of the recent past. It can't, however, be described as a pretty car. With the sharply-stepped nose, in layman's terms, perched on front-wing tusks, it is certainly an attention-grabbing challenger, however.
Looking ahead to the new season, Alonso remarked: "We have to be resolute and positive for the season ahead. We have to fight for the title."
Meanwhile, speaking on a weblink, Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo repeated his demand for the under-pressure Massa, who has just a single year remaining on his contract, to improve his performances this season.
"He knows as much as we know that he has to do something great, something better after a not-so-positive season," announced the typically-forthright di Montezemolo. "We are offering him the best conditions to do a great job."
Yet, for the timebeing at least, it's the team's new car that is the centre of attention at Maranello. With the unveiling endorsing reports last week in Italy that Ferrari's latest creation was not a looker, the team will be hoping that beauty is no barometer of speed.
"I am sure our car will be winning right from the beginning," declared Stefano Domenicali in confident fashion. "We have learned many lessons from the past, and taken some difficult decisions. But I am sure all our efforts will be represented with this car.
"From a technical point of view, we have many novelties in terms of mechanics and also the shape of the car. We wanted continuity here, and hopefully we will reach the right performance."
Now for the hard work - with the car set to be put through its pace for the first time in Jerez next week.
"We have only 12 days to work on the car and achieve reliability, and also test the new tyres that have been given to us by Pirelli," added Domenicali.
Source: SkySports
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