One station is scheduled to return to service next week, after 'all necessary maintenance and testing jobs have been completed'
uae13 hours ago
Ferrari will launch their new Formula One car on Feb 11 and expect it to have less outright speed than this year's but be better equipped to take the fight to champions Mercedes after a disappointing 2019.
Team boss Mattia Binotto told reporters at the Maranello factory that Ferrari were aiming to put a lot more aerodynamic downforce on the as-yet unnamed 2020 car.
The sport's oldest, most glamorous and successful team have not won a drivers' title since Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen was champion in 2007.
"We are not expecting to be as fast on the straight as we have been," said Binotto. "Our car is aiming for more downforce and by consequence, we are certainly working more on drag."
Binotto said the new chassis was going through crash tests while developments continued in the wind tunnel, with a few more sessions to run before finalising the package for initial Barcelona testing in February.
Binotto said there would be "quite significant changes on the engine", with the power unit a source of controversy this year amid speculation Ferrari were bending the rules --allegations they have firmly denied.
Ferrari started 2019 as favourites after setting impressive times in testing but failed to live up to expectations. Binotto called the opening race in Australia "a cold shower".
Mercedes won both titles for an unprecedented sixth year in succession while Lewis Hamilton, who ended the year as a six times world champion, won 11 of 21 races.
Ferrari won three, two with Monegasque newcomer Charles Leclerc who out-performed four times world champion team mate Sebastian Vettel, but suffered reliability problems and team and driver errors.
Binotto said Ferrari, whose driver lineup will be unchanged, would not start 2020 as favourites.
"We didn't have the best car in 2019," he said. "So, we cannot be the favourites. The ones that won the championship this year, the ones that won the last titles are setting the bar and are having the fastest car by the end of the season.
"So we are the challengers."
Ferrari chief executive Louis Camilleri saw encouraging signs for the future even if the team had not met their ambitions.
"If you look back in the history of Formula One, where teams have done very well...there is one common thread, which was that there was a lot of stability within the team and therefore they learned to work very closely together," he said.
"That is something we are very focused on, Mattia has been spending a lot of time to ensure that we have a cohesive, united team."
Camilleri said Ferrari was prepared to invest in people and infrastructure, with a new simulator under construction. The team would have a bigger budget also to prepare for sweeping rule changes in 2021.
One station is scheduled to return to service next week, after 'all necessary maintenance and testing jobs have been completed'
uae13 hours ago
Individuals that are physically active tend to ignore mild pain, considering it a normal part of exercise or sports
uae13 hours ago
The campus is set to become the largest dedicated hub for AI and technology companies in the Middle East and North Africa
uae13 hours ago
Dravid's tenure comes to an end after the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies
sports14 hours ago
Stand-in skipper Jitesh believes the absence of key England players will not affect his side's morale on Sunday
sports14 hours ago
Netanyahu came under personal attack from Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for failing to rule out an Israeli government in Gaza after the war
world15 hours ago
The fund is designed to finance the production of artistic and creative works in film, music, performances, and video games
uae15 hours ago
Fico has been in hospital since Wednesday when a lone gunman shot him four times, including in the abdomen
world15 hours ago