The Formula 1 Blog

  The first official preseason testing for Formula1 2012 Championship is about to get started at Jerez with 11 teams present and Marussia being the bad student.

  The Spanish circuit officials have issues the running order for the event and only nine cars will be allowed to run for the first time, among the runners Mercedes GP will bring to the test the last year car and their main goal is to test the new Pirelli tyres.

  HRT F1 Team will also be present with the F111 and they want to give Pedro de la Rosa as much running time as possible in order get him fit by the time the season will start.

Official running order is as follows:

  Soon after we published the first images of the new Ferrari F2012 we made a promise to update that with more informations about the car and also to present to you more picture as they become available. Well this is us keeping that promise.

  The F2012 is the 58th car built by the Scuderia Ferrari to take part in the Formula1 Championship and it’s name is just following the tradition that Ferrari has in order to name the cars after the year of fabrication.

Many of you may have already heard that the name of this year project was also Project 663 or just 663 in short, the code came from Ferrari’s interpretation of the rules that will apply for this year regulations. According to Ferrari this year’s car is a totally new design, and everything has been rethink in order to comply with the new regulations and to improve the aerodynamics. Further more suspension has been completely redesigned to allow a lower gravity center, while the front wing is a evolution of the one that we saw last year in action in the last races.

  Like Caterham CT01 and Force India VJM05 Ferrari’s 2012 challenger also has a step in the nose of the car in order to comply with the new regulations which required a lower nose, but they also did it to be able to lift the backend of the car as much as possible for aerodynamic reasons. F2012 also features repositioned radiators, redesigned gearbox and many other features that set it apart from F150. All those internal modifications led to a much narrower and tapered. The exhaust system was also designed to help the car aerodynamically while the rear wing is very similar with the one used last year. Brakes were redesigned as well in collaboration with Brembo and some optimizations were made.

  The engine was also redesigned, but is an evolution of the engine used last year so no big change was made in powerplant was made, the engine electronics controls have also been remade.  KERS and the rest of the cars electronic systems were upgraded and the main goal was to make all smaller and lot less heavy.

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This morning Ferrari presented it’s new F2012, here a sneak-pic at what the new car looks:

more information and pictures will be presented as they become available.

Images: © Ferrari

  Scuderia Ferrari is on for a “bad” start it seems, after failing to pass FIA’s crash test on it’s 1st attempt the Maranello team was forced to try a second time but this time with success only to see a streak of more “bad luck” continuing to harm the red team in it’s endeavors as the snow decided to interfere with the new F2012 car launch.

  Is not the first time and will not be the last when the weather will interfere with Ferrari’s plans but is certainly a disappointment not to see the official presentation of the car as it should be or the Passion Day event taking place. Ferrari has promised that the F2012 will be presented tomorrow but without the ceremony and the pictures and the interviews will be available to everyone interested thru Ferrari Official Website.

  The situation on site seems to be more than simple since the Italian authorities in the area have deiced to close all the schools (on all levels) until at least 4th of February and the Fiorano track is building up a nice blanket of snow.

  All in all the decision to cancel the presentation seems to be right one since the access of more than 300 people to the Maranello facilities would not have been easy considering the snow and the fact that it continues to fall over the region.

Info & Images: © Ferrari

Without question Red Bull is the team to beat in 2012. In 2011 Red Bull reigned supreme from the race in Australia and has never let the guard down always maintaining a strong advance to the rest of the competition, which cannot really be called that if we think that Ferrari was only able to win once at Silverstone while McLaren shared the 1st place with Red Bull for another 6 times.

In the closing days of the championship at Ferrari a rumor emerged saying that Ferrari will prepare for 2012 an unbeatable structure and also admitted that will risk a lot more in designing the new car.

  According to Flavio Briatore, Ferrari will start again this year with 2-3 tenths behind Red Bull but if this difference won’t be bigger than that, then Alonso will no doubt be World Champion for the 3rd time in 2012: "Red Bull has a great advantage, and have been working very quietly during these two months. I see Ferrari between 2 and 3 tenths behind the pace of Red Bull. If this is so in the first race, Alonso could win the championship".

  Alonso’s old boss also insisted on the fact that Ferrari needs to give Alonso an competitive car and also stated that is more than obvious that the team must concentrate it’s efforts in the first pilot, “The last championship was disappointing but Felipe Massa is recovering from he’s terrible accident and he always was a fast pilot. Is also important that the second pilot must be in complete harmony with the No. 1 and has to bring he’s contribution to the team. I would not waste much time in thinking who’s the 2nd pilot but I would invest far more in building a competitive car for Alonso because the World Title is won by one pilot alone and this is why I would focus my attention in that pilot”.

  In other words Flavio would risk everything on the Spaniard and considering that he and Alonso shared some glory a few years back he might be onto something, but time will tell and on the positive side there is only a little over one and a half months until the championship will start.

  This Wednesday we were able to see for the time some real images of the first car that was officially presented for the  2012 Formula1 Season, the Caterham CT01. And the car from the guys of Tony Fernandes has a feature that, in principle, we would see  on the cars of other teams on the grid as well: the nose in the shape of a duck beak.
  At first glance it is shocking, but the new regulation approved by the FIA Technical bind all the teams to lower the height of the nose of all cars. Although this is only the beginning, because the big teams on the grid and here we aim especially Ferrari and McLaren appears to have taken a very radical way in the design of their cars.
  During this season we have heard statements from the two teams that leave no doubt about that. "I see the Ferrari 2012 and I am amazed," said Stefano Domenicali Ferrari’s team principal, at Wrooom in Madonna di Campiglio. "It would be nice," said Luca di Montezemolo. While Jonathan Neale from McLaren, said: "We’ll risk it."
  After hundreds of rumors and sketches in recent weeks has been published in the Italian press, La Gazzetta dello Sport and mainly Autosprint (the picture from the head of the article), several sketches of what could be the car that the  Maranello team will present on February 3rd. Giorgio Piola specialized illustrator has made several drawings of how, according to their information, will look the new Ferrari, known as ‘Project 663′. Let’s take a look at what has been published so far and if is true or not will only know on next Friday.

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  Yesterday, 24th January in Maranello, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso made actual contact for the first time with the car they will drive in the 2012 World Championship. The two Scuderia Ferrari drivers were in Maranello to try out their seating position in the very first car to be assembled over the past few days at the Gestione Sportiva.
  It also provided the opportunity for the drivers to meet up with Stefano Domenicali and the engineers and to be brought up to speed with development of the car. Felipe and Fernando, along with Jules Bianchi and Davide Rigon, will spend the next few days at a training camp in the Canary Isles taking part in a programme aimed at putting the finishing touches to their physical training, prior to the start of the season. Their next public outing will be on 3 February at the Fiorano track, for the presentation of the new car to the media and the Scuderia’s partners.

  It was yesterday 21 January 2012 when the Ferrari driver Marc Gene took a Formula1 Ferrari car used in 2008 season to the Doha corniche. This event it’s organized by Shell in collaboration with Qatar Motor Show and it’s a thrilling spectacle as a Formula1 Ferrari is storming the Qatar’s capital streets at over 300km/h on a 3 km long temporary set-up venue.

  Marc said after the show: “It was a very interesting day: demonstrating a Formula 1 car in such a beautiful setting was really enjoyable for me.”  “I’ve done quite a few events of this type, but I have never managed to go as quickly as I did today. Towards the end, I was pressing on the accelerator, because I could feel the enthusiasm of the crowd: it was down to the track and, in the shape of the F2008, an amazing car.”

  The Spaniard felt that is important to have events like this in order to increasing the popularity of Formula 1. “It’s great to bring our sport so close to the people, especially in a country that has never seen any F1 action and I am particularly grateful to the organizer’s of the event, for ensuring all the necessary safety precautions were in place as well as allowing the spectators to experience the spectacle in such an intense way. I like Qatar: I was here back in 2004 for the first running of the MotoGP and I have found the country has changed, grown in what one could say is a controlled manner. We got a very warm welcome, showing the passion the people have for Ferrari and motoring in general.”

  With only a few weeks to go to the start of the season, inevitably Marc was asked about the Scuderia’s prospects for 2012. “Back in Maranello, everyone is doing their utmost to be as well prepared as possible for the season,” said Marc. “We are pleased with the work we are doing, but we are well aware that we don’t race alone and the others are also doing their best. We will only begin to get a true picture at the first Grand Prix in Melbourne. Clearly, Ferrari has just one objective, which is part of our DNA, namely victory and we have proved many times before that we know how to achieve it: it’s not by chance that we are the most successful team in this sport. However, we are equally aware that winning is never easy, especially in a sport as competitive as Formula 1.”

Info: ferrari.com

  Now it’s been clear that in the past years FIA became an very indecisive organization, and 2012 starts with them doing the same, in this case is about Lotus-Renault Reactive Suspension System, which is an innovation taht was developed to help the cars stability while braking.

  After the initial talks about the system it appeared that all is OK and the system is legal therefore alongside Lotus, Ferrari and Mercedes started working on a similar system, but yesterday FIA decided that the system does not comply with moveable aerodynamic devices rules and therefore will not be permitted for the Formula1 2012 season.

  Mark Gillan, Williams F1 C.E.O. confirmed the news yesterday: “The FIA has just banned that particular type of system,” he also added: “We have been investigating that type of system for a while. It obviously has an impact on the aero platform of the car. Anything that gets the front ride height lower is beneficial from an aerodynamic perspective.”

  After failing in it’s first attempt Scuderia Ferrari passed the mandatory F.I.A. crash test on the second attempt. It leaked into the press that the new car code named 663 had to undergo a test at a technical facility in Bollate, near Milan after failing the first attempt with F.I.A.

  Various sources reported that the monocoque it’s supposedly much lighter than it’s predecessor and that it has been reinforced with additional layers of carbon fiber in order to sustain subsequent side-impact test. According to Spanish newspapers the new carbon fiber addition will have a negligible effect in term of speed, and the new Ferrari car is much expected to be presented at Jerez next month.

  There are unconfirmed rumors that Ferrari’s new “revolutionary” design will have something of a “dolphin nose” similar with what we could see last year at McLaren.

  The new Ferrari will be introduced to the world by Felipe Massa at Jerez, who will drive the car in the first 2 days and then Alonso will take it’s place for the reminder of the test days (also 2), and according to the schedule the two drivers will have similar apparitions at future tests in Barcelona.

  It was also reported that the new Sauber C31 also passed it’s preliminary crash test with F.I.A. for the rear structure of the car. As many of you might know Sauber will continue to be Ferrari powered for 2012 as well. Sauber also announced that they will unveil the new car on the eve of the test day also at Jerez.