John Surtees in Maranello, from the past to the present

For the past two days, a truly special guest was welcomed within the Ferrari walls, in the shape of a former Ferrari driver and one of the legendary names of the sport, John Surtees. He was involved, along with Fernando Alonso in a promotional event organised by Shell at the Fiorano track which saw Ferrari past and present brought together in the garage. “Looking into Fernando’s eyes, I could see the same determination I had when I was racing,” he said. “Time passes, but passion for racing is something that never changes across the centuries and if you have it in you, you see it in others.”

On leaving Alonso, Surtees met Piero Ferrari, the Ferrari vice president and Stefano Domenicali, the Scuderia team principal and was then taken on a tour of the company, beginning in the Ferrari Classiche department, where he was met by Giulio Borsari, a former mechanic and now a consultant to the company, who had worked closely with Surtees when he drove for the Maranello team. The Englishman is actually the only man to have won world championships in Formula 1 and its equivalent on motorbikes. He made the move to four wheels in 1960, having won seven world titles with MV Agusta and he joined Ferrari in 1962, taking the world title in ’64. Borsari and Surtees reminisced about the significant and enjoyable moments they spent together at the race tracks. The tour for the “figlio del vento” (son of the wind) as he was called back then by his Ferrari team, continued with a visit to the new assembly line and he was clearly impressed by the technology involved. “It’s incredible how everything has changed!” exclaimed Surtees on entering the building. “In my day, the cars were pushed on trolleys and a group of mechanics would work around it. Now, everyone has a place to work and no one seems to be pushing trolleys!”

It was an emotional moment when he went to the Ferrari Museum, where he was snapped alongside his old helmet and a winning photo dating from 1964.

Source: Ferrari.com

Massa's Blog: As a racing driver, you always want more

The biggest event in my life since the Chinese Grand Prix is that I turned 30 around a week ago! I celebrated with my family here in Monaco and I have to admit, it did feel significant hitting thirty. Although, on the other hand, I don’t feel any different, I don’t feel older but it’s strange not be twenty something anymore. When I first appeared in Formula 1, I was twenty: it was ten years ago and I cannot complain about my career and my life since then, which has always delivered more than I expected. But as a racing driver, as a competitor, you can never be happy and you always want more and that is what motivates me. Looking at the current driver line-up in F1, I can take encouragement from the fact that, even if there are plenty of very young drivers in the sport, there are also guys like Michael (Schumacher) who show that it is possible to have a very long career and seeing him still competing makes me feel even younger!

After a long break from racing, I will be heading for Turkey very early on Thursday morning and I have to say that Istanbul is a very special place for me, as it was here in 2006 that I took my first ever F1 victory, which is something no driver can ever forget. I remember it as an incredible win from pole position and also I recall the fact I finished ahead of Michael and Fernando who were fighting for the championship that year, which all added to making it a great achievement. And after that, I made it a hat-trick, winning for the next two years, when I was definitely the fastest man on track. In fact, apart from the three wins from three poles, since I am in Ferrari I have always finished in the points at Istanbul Park, but I hope the Turkish wins won’t stop at three! It sounds strange, but looking back at my results in Istanbul and combining it with my recent significant birthday, it might even be a further motivation to get a good result this weekend. However, we must be realistic and I know we need a good improvement on the car, as we were not as strong as we expected in the first three races. But everyone in Maranello has been working very hard to produce some aero updates for this race, so hopefully we can be a bit stronger, even though these new elements cannot be considered to be a major upgrade. That is the story for this weekend, but we can expect more improvements to follow at the races immediately after this one.

If you look at our positions in qualifying at the last race, we did not have the performance to deliver a podium result, but during the race itself our pace was such that we were actually fighting for a top three finish. We cannot say now what the situation will be in Turkey, because if we have been working hard, then so have the other teams, but it is not impossible that we will find ourselves with a car capable of fighting for a podium. It is true that the tyre situation is the same for everyone, but it is equally true that this could again be the key factor in deciding what happens in the race. The famous Turn 8 will be very important, because you really put a very heavy load on the tyres at this corner so we need to think carefully about the car set-up to deal with it and control the degradation. One element that could make this a completely different situation is that, currently, the weather forecast predicts some rain on nearly every day of the race weekend, which means we and especially our strategists, have to be very concentrated and ready for anything. I can’t remember rain in Istanbul, so it could make life interesting.

Since China, I’ve kept in touch with my engineers to know what they are working on and I also spent two days at the factory and in the simulator last week, which was important for our development work. I enjoyed having a break from this with the unique opportunity of driving three Ferraris on the same day around Fiorano for a filming event: I had a Formula 1 car, the 458 road car and the 458 in its Challenge version. It was good fun, but the problem was that when you step out of the F1 car and into the road car – even a Ferrari – you have to be very careful about your braking points for the corners, because they are very different. But it all ended safely!

Source: Ferrari.com

Did Ferrari bend testing ban rules at Fiorano?

Felipe Massa during the recent filming at Fiorano

Ferrari is courting controversy by testing new components for its struggling 2011 car during a track day for “a promotional film” at Maranello last Friday, according to media reports.

“After so many hours in the simulator it was nice to have a break and enjoy myself on track,” Felipe Massa said after the test at Fiorano late last week.

Spain’s AS newspaper said the Ferrari 150 Italia car was featuring “improvements” that will be rolled out in Turkey this coming weekend.

Last year, the wording of the in-season testing ban was improved to explicitly rule out the testing of new components for the few filming days permitted for each team.

Omnicorse.it said the car differed from its Shanghai-specification in the diffuser and rear suspension areas. Brazil’s Globo also said the car Massa drove at Fiorano “had some differences” compared with the car used in Australia, Malaysia and China.

All the reports indicated that the car seemed “higher at the rear” than before, almost certainly to imitate the rake seen in the Red Bull to make best use of a flexible front wing.

Autosprint also reported that it is “likely” Ferrari took a “big risk” and “exploited the opportunity” of the Fiorano filming day to test the Red Bull-style upgrades.

Meanwhile Red Bull driver Mark Webber told La Stampa that he has a theory about Ferrari’s recent struggles, “In Schumacher’s days, the rules didn’t change very much for years and so the team made many small steps forward. Now the changes are big and very often.”

Source: YallaF1

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

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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

Ferrari F150 launch - Shakedown at Fiorano with Fernando Alonso

Source: NextgenAuto

Ferrari to make Fiorano track debut on January 28

Ferrari’s 2011 car will be given its track debut on the day of its launch on January 28.

While most of the Italian team’s rivals will not get up to speed until the Valencia group test the following week, it has emerged that the Ferrari - currently known only by its codename 288 - will make an earlier debut at Fiorano.

It is believed Ferrari has received clearance for the 100km rollout for filming purposes, due to the debut of a new logo and livery.

Ferrari confirmed that the January 28 debut will take place "weather permitting".

It is further believed that the driver at Fiorano will be Fernando Alonso, with team boss Stefano Domenicali confirming that the Spaniard will be at the wheel of the sole chassis a few days later at Valencia.

Only on the third day of the test will Felipe Massa get his first taste of the car, Domenicali also confirmed.

Meanwhile, Alonso on Wednesday brushed off any fears about a minor ankle injury by doing some skiing at the ’Wrooom’ event in the Italian Dolomites.

Source: Nextgen

Season’s greetings and surprise presents. Fiorano hosts the Italian F1 media dinner

Toasts, presents and best wishes last night at the Fiorano Track, as Luca di Montezemolo welcomed guests from the Italian Formula 1 media and old friends to the traditional Christmas dinner, which will be followed on Thursday 16 December, by a similar evening with foreign sports journalists.

This year’s meeting was preceded by a host of events, starting with a press meeting with Luca Baldisserri, who summed up the first year of the Ferrari Driver Academy (see separate story) followed by the journalists tackling a pit stop competition using the F10 that Fernando Alonso had raced in the last few Grands Prix of the season. 5.4 seconds was the quickest time for the part-time mechanics. After this they were treated to a surprise visit to the Formula 1 simulator which has also reached its first birthday.

Also present alongside the Ferrari President were Vice-President Piero Ferrari and the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Team Principal, Stefano Domenicali and the evening served as the perfect opportunity to sum up the year’s racing activity. “Clearly there was a lot of disappointment, which is inevitable when you lose the title at the last race,” said Montezemolo, as the journalists tucked into the usual tortellini in chicken broth. “But nevertheless, I am pleased with what we achieved. In his first year with us, Fernando did extremely well, bringing him with him a breath of optimism and conviction. In July, nobody believed him when he said he would be in the fight for the title right to the end, but he was proved right. I really like drivers who spend a lot of time in Maranello, forming a solid bond with the team. For various reasons, Felipe did not have a good season, but I am convinced that next year he will do very well and we will give him all he needs to succeed. How would I score it? I give 8 to the team, 9 and a half to Fernando and 7- to Felipe.

“I wish to congratulate Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber and we must acknowledge the fact that Red Bull had the best car,” continued the President. “Our aim for next year is very simple: we will be racing to win. There will not be any major changes within the team, just a few minor adjustments. This group of people is already capable of winning and there is definitely no need for an upheaval. I feel very sorry for Domenicali, because if we had won, it would have been a victory for a team that has a strong Italian identity and that has evolved as a result of the dynamic stability which sums up our philosophy. To achieve our objective, we must have the best car right from the start of the season.”

Montezemolo then moved on to the topic of the state of Formula 1 and its future: “We hope next year will be as good a season as this one and not one like 2009, when the championship seemed to be drugged. The small teams? Honestly, I feel it would be better to have the opportunity of running a third car rather than seeing cars that would struggle even in GP2: it’s an idea we will put forward again strongly for the future. On the subject of the new circuits, I have to say it would be better if more thought was given to the races with an increase in overtaking opportunities with less effort going into beautiful architecture. Then we must unblock this absurd limitation on testing. Formula 1 is the only sport in which there is no chance to train. It is like asking Real Madrid, Milan or Inter to play with smooth soled boots in the rain or not to warm up before a Champions League game. Fortunately, the rule banning team orders has been abolished, which was well and truly a hypocritical rule. It has always been part of the sport and those who race for Ferrari are perfectly aware of the fact. The FIA, under the guidance of Jean Todt, is working well and this decision confirms that trend.”

The evening ended with the journalists receiving the now traditional gifts: a model of the F10, two books, Ferrari Magazine Number 11 and Racing Activities. But there was also an additional surprise “freebie,” the latest version of Futurisiko, the world famous strategy game. Given that there has been a lot of talk about strategy these last few weeks, here was a great opportunity for the media to exercise their minds, after having exercised their bodies earlier during the pit stops!

Source: Ferrari.com

Ferrari Driver Academy at Fiorano

Source: ferrariworld

A lap of the Fiorano circuit explained by Fernando Alonso

Source: NextgenAutoVideos

Onboard camera with Fernando Alonso at Fiorano

Source: NextgenAutoVideos

A day on track for Alonso at Fiorano

Fernando Alonso left Maranello late this afternoon after a day and a half of Formula 1 work as well as filming and promotional activity.

Yesterday afternoon, the Spaniard tackled the simulator, preparing for the European Grand Prix with his engineers. Today's schedule included taking part in on-track activity with a group of Ferrari owners, who got to drive around the Fiorano track with the added bonus of doing so with a special "teacher" who just happens to be a double Formula 1 world champion.

At the same time, Fernando also did a few laps of the track at the wheel of the F10 for promotional purposes, filming not only for partners of the Reds but also for some novel features which will soon enliven the new section on the Ferrari website, dedicated to Formula 1.

Even though he only completed very few kilometres, further limited by the demands of the film script, it was nevertheless Fernando's debut at the Fiorano circuit at the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 car: you have to make the most of any opportunity in this era of the testing ban!

Source: Ferrari.com

Interview with Fernando Alonso in Fiorano for BBC

Source: YouTube - schalburg1212

Ferrari Passion Day Video

Source: ferrariworld

Ferrari Passion Day

Maranello, 3 March

2,500 members of the Scuderia Ferrari Club, the Ferrari Club Italia and the Scuderia Ferrari Community participated today in the first Passion Day, dedicated to the fans of the Prancing Horse with a programme at the track, offering the possibility to admire the new single-seater, the Scuderia will start into the 2010 Formula 1 Championship, from up close.

At the Fiorano race track the official Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, the team’s third driver Giancarlo Fisichella and the test drivers Marc Gené and Luca Badoer took part in this special meeting with the clubs’ members, Ferrari owners and the protagonists from the Ferrari online community, answering the questions, which had been sent in by the fans for this special occasion. At the end of the interviews and some autograph sessions an enthusiastic kart race in four heats was held on the track, where victory went to Antonio Bosi from the Scuderia Ferrari Club Cento.

Source: Ferrari.com

FERRARI ROAD CARS FEEL ALONSO EFFECT

With the new F1 season just weeks away, sources in Italy say Ferrari is set to capitalise on the arrival of Fernando Alonso at the team with a brand new driving mode for its next generation of road cars. Sniff Petrol’s spies say the new setting will have an immediate effect on all aspects of the car, most notably making it instantly faster whilst at the same time more treacherous. And grumpy.

Ferrari insiders say that putting the car into Alonso mode will have other effects, such as increasingly hairy sunvisors and a sat-nav voice that suddenly develops an irritating lisp. However, it’s in the complex electronics of the suspension, engine and gearbox that Alonso mode really shows its stuff. Normally, these three entities work as one to the benefit of dynamics. However, in Alonso mode each area of the car ceases to be a team player and selfishly looks after itself.

Maranello engineers are said to be particularly excited about the Alonso mode’s stability control system which is understood to wait until you are in trouble and then just bugger off to another car. The same system is also said to feature a unique ability to wait until it detects that you are breaking the speed limit and then automatically call the authorities to grass you up. Ferrari insiders say that in early testing Alonso mode is already worth another five tenths of a lap around their Fiorano test track, although at the end of the lap the car then came into the pits in a massive sulk for no apparent reason.

The Alonso setting is likely to first appear on the forthcoming 599 GTO, due later this year. It is thought that the new mode will be engaged by turning Ferrari’s distinctive manettino control to the marking which depicts a duplicitous twat stabbing everyone in the back.

Source: sniff Petrol