Felipe and Fernando, actors for the day

Saint Valentine’s day was a working one for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers, albeit a rather different one to usual. After four days of testing from Thursday to Sunday, developing the Ferrari F150th Italia, today, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso were back at work at the Jerez circuit, in southern Spain, shooting a series of promotional films for the Scuderia and its partners. The work behind the wheel could hardly be compared to the past few days, given that it only required fifty kilometres. However, it was a nice opportunity for the drivers to spend time with the team in a rather more relaxed atmosphere, far removed from the usual frenetic activity of a test.

It meant that Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro was therefore the last team to leave the Andalusian track to head north for the Catalunya Circuit, where the third test session prior to the start of the 2011 Championship gets underway on Friday. Fernando will be the first to drive, with Felipe replacing him in the cockpit of the new car as from Sunday.

Source: Ferrari.com

Domenicali: “Let’s keep our feet on the ground”

There’s an air of great concentration in the corridors of Maranello, after the first three days of testing with the F150. The team pretty much got through the programme established prior to the test, which centred mainly on getting to grips with the behaviour of the new car and on understanding the new Pirelli tyres. On the reliability front, the first assessment can be seen as positive: the mishap that forced Felipe Massa to spend a long time in the garage yesterday is in no way the sign of some congenital defect in the car.

“As we already said at the launch, the important thing is to do many kilometres at the first test and in that we have succeeded, “ said Stefano Domenicali on www.ferrari.com. “The stopwatch revealed little and that will also be the case in the next test sessions. We are pleased with our debut, but we are perfectly aware that there is still a lot of work to do, both on track and in the factory. Over the next few weeks, we must keep our feet solidly on the ground and concentrate on our own job, without being distracted by what the others are up to. The first conclusions will only be drawn in Bahrain when things start getting serious.”

Fernando Alonso was also in Maranello today, spending a long time in the simulator. The team got back from Valencia late morning and by Monday the mechanics will already be on their way again, this time to Jerez de la Frontera where testing resumes on Thursday 10 February: this time Felipe will be the first on track for two days, with Fernando rounding off the last two days of Saturday and Sunday.

Source: Ferrari.com

Massa: “Shame about the time lost”

Felipe Massa was not happy, nor did he want to hide his disappointment at the end of his troubled debut at the wheel of the F150. The third and final day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro began with a technical problem this morning, when a pipe broke leading to a heavy loss of oil during the first run of the day, which meant the Brazilian had to endure a long period of inactivity in the garage. Felipe got back in the car at 14.30 and did not stop until he took the chequered flag at 17.00. He thus managed to fit in 80 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.14.017. “We had a problem right at the start of the morning, when I was out on very old tyres,” explained Felipe. “It was not nice having to stop pretty much before I’d started the real work, but then, it was a relief to find out it was nothing that serious. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of time and, in the afternoon I tried to make up for it and get a feeling for the new car.”

Obviously, the main focus of questioning from the media centred on the tyres. “I am pleased with how they behaved,” continued the Brazilian. “I think that the fact there is a definite level of degradation is a positive thing in terms of the spectacle. It’s a shame I wasn’t able to do more laps, but the feeling I had was similar to the one from Abu Dhabi, even if that was at the wheel of a very different car. In my opinion, there is not that much that needs changing and I think Pirelli is working in the right direction. We did not try the hardest tyre here, because this track is not best suited to them: when we have done that, then it will be possible to give a more complete evaluation of them.”

Source: Ferrari.com

A Fiery Start To Massa's First F150 Run

Felipe Massa's pre-season testing got off to a blisteringly hot start when his F150 caught fire at Valencia on Thursday morning

Massa, who replaced team-mate Fernando Alonso for the third and final day of testing, spun at Turn Five just over half an hour after the session began.

The Brazilian came to a halt on the outside kerb, facing the wrong way and with smoke pouring out of the back of his new Ferrari.

Massa jumped out and waved over the marshals, who came armed with extinguishers, quickly putting out the fire before his car was taken back to the pits on a flatbed truck.

"It was an hot start for Felipe," Ferrari Tweeted. "His car had a small fire due to an oil leak so it will be necessary to work at length to repair it."

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso not worried about bad season with Ferrari

Fernando Alonso has reacted cautiously to those predicting a stellar season for him in 2011.

Bernie Ecclestone and Mark Webber are reported to have tipped the Spaniard for title contention with the new F150 Ferrari, which was three tenths faster than reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel’s new Red Bull at the Valencia test on Wednesday.

"I have nothing to say about it," Alonso told Spanish reporters when asked about the championship predictions.

"Expectations are naturally high but it’s the same for all the drivers with the big teams," he said.

"What gives you some peace of mind is that you know that a bad year at Ferrari or McLaren will have you fifth, while at some other teams you might not be in Q3," added Alonso.

"So that’s not something we have to worry about.

"I like the car but it’s too early to know if it’s good enough to win," he said.

Alonso also tempered his earlier criticism of the Pirelli tyres, whilst many drivers are speaking about high degradation, inconsistency and handling problems.

"It is true that they degrade but it was worse on the first day," said Alonso.

"We have made some setup changes that have helped us, while others have improved maybe less.

"The truth is that adapting the car to the tyres is one of the main challenges."

He also dismissed reports that Renault’s new exhausts which exit near the sidepods is set to be the must-have innovation of 2011.

"There are new things with each team; Renault have that and the others have something else," Alonso answered coyly.

Source: Nextgen

Video: All about the Ferrari F150

Source: NextgenAuto

Alonso: “Happy with the F150”. Tomorrow it’s Massa’s turn

Fernando Alonso was smiling as he left the “Ricardo Tormo” circuit after the debrief that ended the second day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro at this track. Indeed, a figure of 800 kilometres completed over the first two days of development for the F150 constitutes a good basis on which to build, in terms of the work over the coming weeks. It shows that things have got off on the right foot, at least in terms of reliability. As for performance, it is obviously much too early to draw any conclusions: Fernando’s 1.13.307 might have been the fastest time of the day, but that does not tell us much given that it is impossible to know what fuel loads and tyres the other drivers were using out on track, as Alonso himself pointed out. “We had three types of tyre available here and there is a significant performance difference between them, in the region of between six and seven tenths on the clock. This means it is too hard to make comparisons between the performance of the various cars.”

“I am happy with the work we did today,” said the Spaniard. “Yesterday we concentrated mainly on the systems on the car, on checking that everything was okay, while on this second day we were able to go deeper into our understanding of its behaviour, even with different fuel loads, making the first changes to the set-up. For example, we tried to deal with the oversteer and to find ways of dealing with tyre degradation over a long distance.”

A few minor hitches linked to carrying out some set-up changes on the car slowed the work programme this morning, but it did not upset the planned programme which was fully completed. “This is totally normal when you start developing a brand new car,” explained Fernando. “From the reliability point of view, this is definitely a good start. The F150 proved to be very strong and we can be happy about that. As to whether we will be competitive, we won’t really know for sure until Bahrain.”

Felipe Massa was a keen observer at the test and tomorrow, it is his turn to get behind the wheel of the F150. In the morning, his team-mate is heading off for Maranello where, the next day, he will be working on the simulator.

Source: Ferrari.com

Valencia day two: Alonso's F150 rules supreme in Spain

In a day with many firsts, the pecking order at the end of day two in Valencia was headlined by two familiar foes, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel

Much of the talk heading into Wednesday's session revolved around the appearance of Lotus' T128, with the team the only outfit not to get any running on day one.

Indeed, Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus was the first car out on the Circuito Ricardo Tormo on Wednesday morning. The Finn's presence was brief however, with the team bringing the T128 back into the garage after its instillation lap.

It was there that it remained for most of the day, with a brief 15-lap salvo in the afternoon interrupted by a problem with the car's power steering which ultimately proved terminal in terms of the day's activities.

The T128 was not the only newcomer to the fold, with Sauber's Sergio Perez and Williams' Pastor Maldonado getting their first taste of F1 pre-season testing.

Rubens Barrichello electrical problem brought out the first red flag before the session had really begun, with the flying Scotsman Paul di Resta briefly topping the tables with a 1:13.844 before he too brought a halt to proceedings after spinning at turn two.

Di Resta impressed for the most part, putting Force India's 2010 model in third place in the day's final classification.

Renault and Mercedes may have been the two teams fighting it out behind the frontrunners last season, but the two teams are having vastly different fortunes thus far in 2011.

Kubica improved on yesterday's performance from Vitaly Petrov by some distance, notching up a 1:14.412, the fourth fastest time of the session, and the third quickest by a team using a 2011 model.

Conversely, Merc GP's struggles continued on Wednesday. Having been hindered by a hydraulics problem on day one, Rosberg brought out his second red flag in two days when he came to a standstill at turn eleven. Rosberg was able to post a 1:14.645, a second faster than the team's best yesterday and while the day was interrupted it was still more productive.

Lewis Hamilton was out on track for the second day in succession, putting the McLaren MP4-25 through its paces. Perhaps it was because McLaren weren't offering up their knew challenger, but despite putting in 83 laps, Hamilton went largely unnoticed throughout the day, notching up the fourth best time of the day (1:14.353) but at no stage troubling Alonso and Vettel.

Di Resta, Kubica and Vettel all held the day's fastest time at some stage during the morning's opening hours, but by the break it was Alonso who headed the field with a 1:13.307, and that remained the top time of the day.

A statement from Ferrari said that Alonso was focusing first on "aerodynamic tests" and then a "comparison test between various types of Pirelli tyre," but regardless by what the Spaniard was looking for, the F150's ability to outpace the Red Bull of Vettel will come as a welcome relief to many after the RB6's performance on day one suggested that Red Bull may once again have a great early dominance.

While Vettel was behind the wheel during the morning, Mark Webber was given a run in the afternoon, but curiously only came out on track with half-an-hour left in the day. As a result it came as no surprise when he failed to post a time of any substance.

Perhaps the shock of the day was a late burst from Narain Karthikeyan and his Hispania car to post a time of 1:14.472, the sixth fastest of the day and superior to many more fancied campaigners.

Unofficial Times:
01. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:13.307s 108 laps
02. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Renault 1:13.614s +0.307 43 laps
03. Paul di Resta Di Resta Force India Mercedes 1:13.844s +0.537 111 laps
04. Leiws Hamilton McLaren Mercedes 1:14.353s +1.046 83 laps
05. Robert Kubica Renault 1:14.412s +1.105 104 laps
06. Narain Karthikeyan HRT Cosworth 1:14.472s +1.165 80 laps
07. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:14.645s +1.338 69 laps
08. Timo Glock Virgin Cosworth 1:15.408s +2.101 34 laps
09. Rubens Barrichello Williams Cosworth 1:16.023s +2.716 51 laps
10. Sergio Perez Sauber Ferrari 1:16.198s +2.891 42 laps
11. Pastor Maldonado Williams Cosworth 1:16.266s +2.959 29 laps
12. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso Ferrari 1:16.359s +3.052 46 laps
13. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso Ferrari 1:16.474s +3.167 64 laps
14. Mark Webber Red Bull Renault 1:17.365s +4.058 17 laps
15. Hiekki Kovalainen Lotus Renault 1:20.649s +7.342 15 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso: “A good start for the F150”

To finish first, first you have to finish. It’s a rule of sport, in particular motor sport where mechanical reliability is behind every result. So if a new car takes its first steps on the track without encountering problems it’s already a good start. Certainly you need performance but before looking for that it’s important to begin to understand the car’s behaviour – all the more so if the new creation is wearing new boots. This was the main objective of the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro technicians who today began development work on the F150: to go through lots of miles and to begin to understand the behaviour of the new Pirelli tyres.

There was satisfaction both for the engineers and the driver: “After so many weeks of waiting I had a great desire to return to the car,” said Fernando Alonso at the end of the day. “It’s always a great feeling to be the first to drive a new car and I’m honoured that this was my job. I’m satisfied with how this first day has gone, in particular regarding reliability. We haven’t had any kind of problem – just as we haven’t had any in the factory before arriving here.”

As for the tyres, it’s clear that there is still a lot of work to do. “We don’t have a huge amount of sets of tyres available and there is significant tyre wear,” added the Spanish driver. “That probably also stems from the track conditions that were not at their best after the rain of recent days. But we are all in the same situation and we just have to work to adapt in the best way.”

Fernando continued: “It’s impossible to have an idea of how the different teams line up after just a few hundred kilometres and I don’t think that we will have a clear picture before the Bahrain Grand Prix. I remember that last year at the last test in Barcelona we were sixth fastest with Sauber and Force India ahead of us. At Sakhir we lapped them. I think that this question mark will remain right up to the first race.”

Source: Ferrari.com

Valencia: Problems and pace for Alonso

Just a mere 78 days after F1 bid farewell to the 2010 season, testing for the 2011 campaign got underway at Valencia

New Force India test driver Nico Hulkenberg was the first out on track followed by McLaren's Gary Paffett. Both drivers, though, were using last year's cars as their team's new challengers won't be launched until later in the morning.

Fernando Alonso therefore had the honour of being the first to display his team's new car as he took the track in Ferrari's F150.

His run was, according to reports, short-lived as the Spaniard suffered an apparent technical problem within the first hour. Alonso, though, was able to get his car, which had the rear covered in flow-paint, back to the garage.

Soon back on track, the double World Champion climbed to the top of the timesheets with a 1:15.371.

Defending World Champion Sebastian Vettel and Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi both hit the track in their 2011 challengers while Vitaly Petrov debuted Renault's new R31 before Rubens Barrichello ventured out in his FW33.

Unofficial Times
1. Alonso Ferrari F15 01:15.371 8 laps
2. Hulkenberg Force India VJM-03 1:15.948 + 0.577 12 laps
3. D'Ambrosio Virgin MVR-01 1:17.991 + 2.62 14 laps
4. Barrichello Williams FW33 1:24.424 + 9.053 4 laps
5. Paffett McLaren MP4-25 1:30.471 + 15.100 4 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Everything set for the F150’s track debut

Cheste, 31 January – In just a few hours time, the lights will go green to officially get the 2011 season underway. 10 o’clock tomorrow morning sees the start of the first of four test sessions, this one at the “Ricardo Tormo” circuit, at Cheste, on the outskirts of Valencia, prior to the opening round of the Formula 1 World Championship, the Bahrain Grand Prix.

All the teams are here in Cheste, however not all of them have their new car ready. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro was first to lift the veil on its latest creation, running the F150, which has already tasted track action with a few dozen kilometres at Fiorano, in a session aimed at acquiring film footage for promotional use. The car which will be entrusted to Fernando Alonso tomorrow and Wednesday will be in the same configuration seen last Friday in Maranello at the launch presentation.

The work schedule for this first session will focus mainly on the overall reliability of the F150 and on increasing understanding of the new Pirelli tyres. There was some rain today, but the weather is due to improve over the next few days.

Source:Ferrari.com

Videos: Ferrari F150 launch - Shakedown at Fiorano with Felipe Massa

Source: NextgenAuto

Photos: Ferrari F150 launch 2011 Part 2

Ferrari F150 launch in Fiorano Today

...

A day of red hot enthusiasm at Fiorano

Over a thousand people braved the cold and damp this morning to see the Ferrari F150 and the Scuderia’s full complement of drivers from Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa to Bianchi, Fisichella, Bertolini and all the youngsters from the Ferrari Driver Academy. On this second day of acquiring footage of the car’s new livery for advertising purposes, the Fiorano Track opened its gates to a section of the fifteen thousand Scuderia Ferrari Club members. “I would like to thank all of you for having coming all the way here to give us your passionate support,” said Stefano Domenicali as he got the day underway by addressing the crowd. “Last year, on the day we won at Monza, feeling this wave of affection from all of you was a great motivating force as we fought our way back and we hope to give you something back this year with a championship title, something that we missed out on in Abu Dhabi by the smallest of margins. This car is dedicated to celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification because it is part of our makeup to feel pride in representing our country all over the world. Even if we have team-members who come from many different countries, starting with a Spaniard like Fernando and a Brazilian, albeit with Italian origins, like Felipe, we have a strong desire to hold high the national flag which is now seen in all its glory on our car.”

The weather was definitely not at its best, with a bit of sleet in the early hours of the morning making the track damp and temperatures were even lower than yesterday, so that Felipe Massa only did just over sixty kilometres at the wheel of the F150. The car was then loaded onto a truck which headed off to Cheste, near Valencia, where on Tuesday 1st February the development testing will get underway. Giving the newborn car its first ever run up against its rivals will be Fernando Alonso, who will also drive on the following day. On Thursday 3rd it will be Felipe Massa who will bring to a close the first of four pre-season test sessions.

Source: Ferrari.com

Videos: Ferrari F150 launch Press Conference

Interviews with Stefano Domenicali, Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Luca di Montezemolo, Costa, Tombazis and Marmorini









Source: NextgenAuto

Two million hits from 149 countries for the F150 on the Ferrari site

As usual, the launch of Ferrari’s new F1 car has created a lot of interest, especially on the internet, where web surfers were able to follow the presentation of the F150, linking up to Maranello through live streaming on the Ferrari.com site.

Two million people from 149 countries followed the event. Fans logged on not just from traditional F1 strongholds such as Spain, Brazil, the USA and the UK, but also from countries in the Far East (Japan, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan,) with many clicking on from India, as well as countries such as Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, not forgetting the African continent, in the shape of Namibia, Botswana and the Congo to name but a few. There were plenty of web surfers from the Middle East too, including the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, home to the Yas Island, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi theme park dedicated to the Maranello marque, where visitors were able to watch the presentation ceremony.

Source: Ferrari.com

Ferrari F150 launch - Shakedown at Fiorano with Fernando Alonso

Source: NextgenAuto

Massa wants to be more competitive this year

In 2009 you directly experienced driving with the Kers. How do you feel about using it again this year?

“I think that we’re working in the same direction as in 2009 and since then lots of development has been done. We haven’t tried it out yet, but I think that we’ll have a good Kers, a little bit lighter and still strong, without losing the car’s set up. It’s important finding the perfect system with all the variables involved.”

Do you think that you’ll have problems regarding the visibility due to the height of the car’s nose?

“The nose is higher, but we’ve worked a lot on changing and setting up the seat. It seems as if for now there weren’t any more problems.”

The season is very long: did you review your physical exercise schedule?

“I exercised a lot. Usually I’m in Brazil, because it’s warmer there and now it’s summer. Here in Europe it’s more difficult. I also considered the weight, regarding the Kers.”

Last year your driving style wasn’t perfect for the car. Did you give some indications this year?

“Yes, but many things have changed. I want to be more competitive from the first to the last race this year and I think that also the Pirelli tyres will help me here.”

How should the Pirelli tyres be made to help your driving style?

“
Last year Bridgestone changed the front tyres a lot compared to 2009. This led to lots of understeer. The tyres were much harder and difficult to bring up to the right temperature. I tried to modify the front tyres, but then the rear tyres didn’t work as they should have, so it was a real fight. This year Pirelli should have prepared much stronger front tyres, for more grip. This is much better for my driving style.”

There were some unpleasant episodes for you last year. Did you ask for guarantees from the team?

“I’m racing in a team where I want to win. I trust the team 100% that they give me the perfect car to compete for victory.”

Source: Nextgen

Interview with Fernando Alonso

Fernando, let’s imagine a situation where in Bahrain three cars are right one behind the other. What can happen?

“The mobile rear wing can only be used on one straight on a lap, so the most important thing would be to arrive at the last corner with less than 1.5 seconds behind the car in front, which is really difficult. I don’t see the possibility of many overtaking manoeuvres. I think that it will still be difficult to overtake. And overtaking will still include taking risk.”

You will have one month and a half with 15 testing days. How will you use the time when you’re not in the car?

“I think that also the days I’m not testing will be very important and I’ll be at the track anyway, when Felipe is in the car, following the tests and the development. The data he can collect will be also useful for me and vice versa.”

Do you think that all the commands on the steering wheel take a little bit the fun out of driving?

“I think more than anything else that all these commands make driving more difficult. It’s much more difficult than you can imagine driving a Formula 1 single-seater. As of this year there are two more buttons: to control the wing and the Kers. Driving a GT is much more fun and you can concentrate more on driving.”

Do you have your perfect weight to drive this year? The driving position is higher than last year. Will this change your style?

“I started with my preparations and I count on it to be 100% in shape for Australia, because we want to be perfectly fit for the races in Australia, Malaysia and China. Last week I rode my bike a lot, went to swim, ran and did exercises for my neck. The weight is fine. I don’t think that I’ll have any problems with the Kers, also because the car’s minimum weight has been upped to 640 kg. The seat and the driving position won’t change the driver’s perspective too much.”

Could the new parameters like the tyre wear influence your driving style?

“I don’t know. We still have to test. We’ll find out if the higher tyre wear is just mere speculation. Naturally one pit stop instead of two means a lot in a race, because for one stop you loose 25 seconds, which you might regain in 30 laps.”

What pressure do you apply to yourself? Which team do you think can set up a car, which can compete with Ferrari?

“The pressure I put on myself is high. The motivation in the first months of the year is the same as every year. I think I’m part of a unique team and also this presentation proofs it. The other teams will present their cars at the first test, just before they start to drive, and nobody will say anything, neither the drivers nor the Chairmen. To answer your question I think that Mercedes might have the possibility to build a competitive car, but also McLaren and Red Bull; we have to fight with them.”

How much of yourself is in the car for 2011?

“When I arrived in 2010 I found a very different car compared to the one I had driven before. This year I contributed and I think that also my driving style had an influence on the development. Now I also know the people in my team and I’ve got a good relationship with them and I’m always putting them under pressure.”

Source: Nextgen

Ferrari wants to get off to a flying start

Talking at the unveiling of the Ferrari F150, Stefano Domenicali reckoned the Scuderia will have to start the season off on the right foot if it wants to fight for the championship.

Here are his thoughts:

Stefano, is it important to start well this year?

“Yes, it’s fundamental, also because if you don’t start gaining points immediately, you can’t recover them later. Naturally at the start there’s a higher possibility to make up for possible mistakes, but the points lost can’t be regained.”

One year ago you won at the start. This year, are you pointing towards the whole season or more towards the early stages?

“Honestly I don’t expect to see the real potential of our competitors in the first tests, but we’ll know more in Barcelona. Bahrain will be the first real test. Our strategy, which is a conservative approach, is to make it to the end and be ahead. To reach this objective the mobile rear wing has to be interpreted and used best possible, together with the KERS, where we had many problems in 2009, but we hope that we could solve them due to our experience. As far as aerodynamics is concerned I think that there will be less improvement as the season goes on, so we have to start well immediately.”

Ferrari has worked and is still working on limiting expenses and controlling them with the others.

“We want to monitor the expenses attentively, because when we enter a commitment we respect it. We were the first to accept a step back for the greater good of Formula 1 at an historical moment, when it was necessary. We invested in places close by, in Fiorano and in Mugello. But limiting costs can’t be something where the whole system gets stuck. Knowing that other teams really want to win, everything to be able to compete on the highest levels has to be done, respecting also non-motorsport commitments we’ve taken. We’ll monitor this and we all will talk about it together. “

Apart from the new regulations, how are you prepared as far as the tyres are concerned?

“The tyres are a fundamental issue. The new tyres are significantly different from the others, so there might be more pit stops and we have to understand how not to stress them too much. The first tests next week are very important to understand the tyres. I hope that it will rain for at least one day, because we don’t have any indication regarding the tyres’ behaviour on the wet, apart from the first data from the test Pirelli carried out under almost monsoon-like conditions. There are many unknown factors to consider.”

Which areas have been included in the cost monitoring?

“Those areas include the chassis, apart from the engine and the gearbox. Over the years we tried to set a limit regarding the expenses also as far as the number of people involved is concerned and the external expenses we have to cover every year. We lowered the expenses by about 30 to 40%, while we also reduced the number of people in the group working in the motorsport department.”

Source: NextgenAuto