Ferrari confirm car launch date

Ferrari have confirmed that they will unveil their 2013 Challenger on Friday February 1 at their Maranello headquarters.
The Italian outfit are the fifth team to announce their launch date, following the lead of Force India, who will also unveil their new car on February 1st, as well as McLaren, Red Bull and Sauber. The F2013’s unveiling will take place the week before the first test of the winter at Jerez, at which the new car can be expected to debut. Team Principal Stefano Domenicali is hopeful the Scuderia can hit the ground running with their latest challenger, having struggled with its predecessor 12 months ago.
Development of Ferrari’s F2012 was hindered by correlation problems between the team’s wind tunnel in Maranello and its performance on track. As a result, they have shut down their own facility and developed this year’s car using Toyota’s wind tunnel in Germany. “Our aim is clear, to win and the priority is still that of giving our drivers a car that will be competitive right from the very start,” Domenicali said on Wednesday at the Wrooom media event, held by Ferrari and Ducati in the Italian Dolomites. “The development of the 2013 car began in the Cologne wind tunnel and is on-going. I certainly expect to see greater efficiency than last year because we will no longer need to carry out comparisons of data and correlation with the Maranello wind tunnel, which is currently being rebuilt and is due to be operational again after the summer break.”
Although 2013 brings little in the way of new rules, Domenicali also acknowledged that Ferrari must keep one eye on the season to follow, when major changes governing engines will be introduced.
“The 2013 season will be a complex one from many points of view,” said Domenicali. “We face a few changes on the technical front which will have a significant impact on all areas of the company, not just in terms of design, but also when it comes to the investment and infrastructure required to develop the new engine. “Within the limits imposed by the regulations, we need to put every effort into reaching our objectives, while making the best use of the timescale in preparing for 2014.” Meanwhile, in a separate announcement, Ferrari have also announced that Pedro de la Rosa, who drove for the now-defunct HRT team in 2012, is to join the team in a development role.
Prior to joining the Spanish backmarker at the start of last season, the veteran spent the best part of a decade in a test and development role at McLaren to high acclaim. “We decided to add De La Rosa to our group of drivers mainly to strengthen one area, namely work in the simulator, which with the current regulations regarding testing, is becoming ever more important,” Domenicali said. “Pedro therefore joins a group of drivers that already includes Davide Rigon, Marc Gene, Andrea Bertolini and Jules Bianchi.”
Confirmed 2013 car launches
McLaren – January 31, venue to be confirmed.
Force India – February 1, Silverstone.
Ferrari – February 1, Maranello.
Sauber – February 2, Hinwil.
Red Bull – February 3, Milton Keynes
Loeb dominant as WRC begins: Sebastien Loeb began the new World Rally Championship campaign in typically dominant fashion, taking victories on three of the opening day’s four stages.
He has now secured a commanding early lead at a snowy Monte Carlo Rally on Wednesday.
The reigning nine-time champion will not defend his title in 2013 after committing to just four rallies this year, but he has vowed to go all out for wins in those races he does contest and was as good as his word as he built up an 80-second lead at the end of the first day.
The standings were shrouded in uncertainty for several hours this afternoon after the WRC’s new timing system was struck by technical gremlins during stage three. Most teams estimated that Loeb was leading by over a minute from the chasing pack, and so it proved when the rally organisers were finally able to verify the timings.
With an allocation of just 30 winter tyres, Loeb was among the drivers who elected not to run with studded tyres on all four corners of his Citroen on the relatively dry third stage, instead running a combination of two regular tyres and two winter.