The new Ferrari car that will compete in the 2008 Formula One (F1)
season made its debut on the racetrack in Tuscany last week. Ferrari’s
latest model, the F60, was unveiled to the public weeks ago. It is the first car
of the next generation of F1 development by Ferrari, and differs greatly from
the previous F2008 Ferrari model. Ferrari hopes it will be its claim to fame in
the upcoming season.
The Scuderia
decided to move testing to the Mugello circuit due to the snow and cold
temperatures that hit its main test track in Fiorano in mid-January.
Although the
new 2009 model may be aesthetically unpleasing, it is sure to make Ferrari a
contender next season, asserts Ferrari head Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. The
F60 boasts beefed up horsepower and new aerodynamic features. It also features
the new Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). Before beginning pre-season test
spins of the new F60, Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were
rather hesitant about how the new model might perform.
However, once
its tires hit Tuscany’s Mugello racetrack on January 12, both were much more positive about the car.
Despite frequent rains in Mugello, a week or so of pre-season test runs helped Massa ease into the new model and he ended up giving
it high marks for performance and reliability.
‘If I was
asked to give a verdict on this test, I would score it a strong eight for
reliability, given that we have covered over 1500 kilometres’, the 27-year-old
told reporters. Massa covered 103 laps at the Mugello with the F60. The team was also able to
do a few dry runs on click tires, setting a best time of 1m and 23.981s, on the
last day of testing in Mugello on January 23.
Raikkonen was
also happy with F60’s performance in Mugello, saying he doesn’t think the
Formula One’s introduction of the much-disputed Kinetic Energy Recovery System
(KERS) in this year’s championship will have an impact on the race results.
Other teams have expressed concern that the KERS system might slow down performance.
The Finn covered 42 laps of the Italian circuit and posted a best time of 1m
and 33.920s.
Meanwhile,
three F1 team chiefs recently expressed concern over the F60’s legality.
Apparently, the exterior exhaust pipes of the new model contravene the F1’s new
technical regulations.
