Filed under: Motorsports, Ferrari
Ferrari F2008 to kick off F1 launches
Ferrari F2007
After 60 years, Scuderia Ferrari still hasn't gotten tired of getting a head start over its rivals. This time, the team has confirmed that the car it will be campaigning next season will be unveiled within a couple weeks' time on January 6.
The early launch date, which was leaked first by Kimi Raikkonen and then confirmed by president Luca di Montezemolo and CEO Jean Todt, places Ferrari as the first F1 team to unveil its car in the new year. Toyota will be unveiling its car on January 10, BMW Sauber on January 14, Honda on January 29 and Renault on January 31. The remaining teams, including Williams, Red Bull, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Force India and Super Aguri, are expected to show their cars later on. Following the much hyped spy scandal, McLaren is opting to forego the festivities of a glitzy unveiling for its 2008 car.
With the F2008, Ferrari is hoping to repeat this past year's performance by reclaiming the driver's and constructor's titles. The car is expected to be an evolution of the F2007 (pictured above), which was hailed as a revolutionary design.
[Source: Inside Line]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TBDN 8:38PM (12/25/2007)
There isn't going to be much - if anything - that is revolutionary with engine development frozen for the next decade. Let's see - anyone want to wager how much F-1's already dwindling spectator numbers decline every year?
Thanks, Max Moseley, for killing off a fine sport!
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tankd0g 10:49PM (12/25/2007)
Every friggin story is going to be about aleged breaching of the new rediculous rules. Ferrari might as well be the first acused.
Jason Bird 2:29PM (12/26/2007)
Now instead of getting passed in the pits, F1 teams are passing in the courtroom.
No wonder so many racers are coming to NASCAR. Juan Montoya said it best, "I passed more cars in one race than I had in my entire career"
Until F1 finds a way to really race these high strung fragile little toys, Americans won't watch.
That said...you have got to love a tiny little engine, able to spin north of 20K rpm in the best handling chassis in the world. If they could only find a way to allow for passing and a little pressure.
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Bahjat Tabbara 1:47PM (1/01/2008)
I wouldn't go that far. NASCAR itself is tuned for American racing fans but internationally it's dull as American football, that is, it is like Bollywood, tuned locally. For instance, international viewers do not appreciate circles & D-shape tracks.
Montoya himself is well accustomed to the American racing scene & his poor performance in F1 is testament to his inability to make the grade in the only racing series that really counts. No American has excelled in F1 for over a generation. Only Phil Hill & Mario Andretti have won F1, one each.
Thus, every American champion may be a champion in their own events, but there remains that asterix that they haven't competed in F1 or distinguished themselves where it really counts. As such it is no wonder that even on 'Planet America' the ultimate series is not really really telling unless they have been to F1. Americans may try, but they cannot hide from the fact that their best drivers are not the best in the world, & that fact was snubbed when Emerson Fittipaldi & Nigel Mansell clashed for the 1994 CART IndyCar title, both eventually asserting the superiority of non-US drivers.
With so few Americans in F1, let alone sponsors &/or excellence as American racing series do not produce world-class material, interest (by American racers or the media would be next to zero & these 'high strung fragile little toys' are actually faster than anything any American racing series has on offer, & actually less fragile than the American toys as they can last an entire season, where their open-wheel cousins in the USA (IRL or ChampCar) don't.
In terms of over-taking opportunities, it has proven more difficult in the front-row, however, it is increasingly emerging that the problem may have more to do with the pointing system. Originally meant to undermine the dominance of Michael Schumacher & Ferrari, the pointing system has not encouraged drivers to work harder for their points. Hence if eight races into a season a driver is some 16 points behind running 2nd & 3rd, a two point net loss is acceptable, where a four-point net loss is not only harder, but worth attempting to overtake.
Michael Schumacher himself commandeered the 248 (F2006) in 2006 falling back on the grid, but with no less than dozen overtakes in one race (including the three laps on present champion Kimi Räikkönen) demonstrated not a lack of overtaking opportunities, but a general reluctance to do so for reasons best known to teams & drivers. Indeed, the dramatic overtake of Williams-Toyota's Nico Rosberg over BMW Sauber's Nick Hiedfield and Robert Kubica to power his way to 4th place at the 2007 Brazilian GP was testament to that.
Bahjat Tabbara 10:14AM (1/01/2008)
F1 viewership will continue to rise. The trouble is not so much that as it is what is the best direction for F1 in this day & age. Many think it's become technologically irrelevant to the automobile industry & would like to see F1 cars use more parts common to production parts. Let's face it, disparity in the competition means that we have two or three real teams contending for the title.
As for the F2008, I suspect that Ferrari may want to go back to their 248 format (F2006) as the F2007 experienced some issues with its longer wheel-base. Since the two tyre compounds were 'soft' & 'super-soft' versus 'hard' & 'soft' in 2006, the 'super-soft' would have in theory compensated for the longer-wheel base by enhancing already higher speed platform & cornering performance (thanks to the 'super-soft' tyres) in one package.
This worked out to plan, but the catch was the 'super-soft' wears out much faster than the 'soft' & it in itself not durable (& the Michelin equivalents proved much better) & that advantage is nullified because the McLaren-Mercedes MP4-22 actually proved faster when both were using the 'softs' & no doubt that advantage would multiply if both were using 'hard' compound tyres.
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