Ferrari first to unveil new car

Share

Ferrari became the first team to launch their 2009 car on Monday, ahead of a season that heralds the biggest Formula One rule changes for 25 years.

The team's F60 car, unveiled at their Italian base, employs a raft of new features to meet the regulations.

These include an energy recovery system similar to those in hybrid road cars and aerodynamic changes aimed at making overtaking easier.

Ferrari missed out on 2008's drivers' title but were the top constructor.

Felipe Massa, who finished a single point behind eventual champion Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, will become the first F1 driver to experience a definitive 2009 car when he gets behind the wheel of an F60 later on Monday.

The car will make its debut at the Mugello test track after snowy conditions ruled out Ferrari's traditional testing venue, their home track in Fiorano.

Ferrari's new car is the first of a number of launches as F1's teams prepare their machines for the new season, which starts in Melbourne, Australia, on 29 March.

Toyota, fifth last season, unveil their challenger on 15 January, with McLaren's latest model appearing the following day.

Renault and Williams reveal their new cars on 19 January, with BMW Sauber doing the same 24 hours later.

Red Bull announced last week that their car will be launched much later than many other leading teams, on 9 February.

All cars must comply to new 2009 regulations, which include aerodynamic modifications where the front wing will be lowered and widened and the rear wing will become taller and narrower.

Slick, untreaded tyres will also be reintroduced after 10 years on grooved tyres and teams have the option of employing a kinetic energy recovery system (Kers).

The Kers system works by storing energy that would otherwise be wasted as heat during braking and reapplying it during acceleration to provide a boost in power.

This boost is controlled by the driver from a button in the cockpit and it is hoped the burst of acceleration will make overtaking easier.

A cockpit-adjustable front wing is other innovation rooted in that aim.

The idea is that drivers should be able to follow other cars more closely through corners - and therefore make them more likely to be able to pass their rivals at the end of the following straight - by increasing the amount of front downforce produced by the wing.

Though the Ferrari F60 was unveiled on Monday, it is not yet the finished product that Massa and 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen will race in Melbourne.

All teams will introduce a series of updates to their cars between their official launches and the first race weekend in Australia.