There was also a historical-superstitious touch on Friday morning first presentation modified by weather events in the entire history of Ferrari. If you look back, you'll discover how often the Prancing Horse riders drove on their home circuit in Fiorano, a stone's throw from the Gestione Sportiva establishments, with snow just beyond the asphalt. Nigel Mansell's debut, in 1989, saw him after a few corners as the protagonist of a track exit, slippery due to the extremely winter conditions. This time, thanks to the closure of the nearby Bologna airport and the difficulty in getting the many guests from all over the world to participate, it was decided that the event would be limited to the web. AND Luke of Montezemolo, with his innate ability to combine past and present and future, history and ambition, has not missed the opportunity to remember how "...Enzo Ferrari told me that when he was born the snow was so deep that his mother was unable to immediately go to the Town Hall to report his birth. I hope then that the snow continues to bring us luck".
All true: the Drake has told and written about it, on several occasions and in several ways. But it was hardly the postponement of the registration of his date of birth, from 18 to 20 February 1898, that gave him the impetus to build his myth. And it will hardly be this severe winter in Maranello that will guarantee the Ferrari F2012 (this is the official name, as expected) enough speed to get back to the top of the podium on a non-occasional basis. And maybe chasing those world championship titles that rained down like hail in those parts between 1999 and 2004. But which are now missing since 2007 by Kimi Raikkonen (Driver title) and since 2008 (Constructors title) by Massa mocked on the wool thread in Brazil.
Coming to the single-seater, the first visual impact arouses mixed emotions. The front view justifies that nasty tribute paid to her by the president a few weeks ago: the muzzle with its showy step, with a very squared shape, the abundance of aerodynamic appendages on the wing, do not contribute to an elegant appearance. The side view is more beautiful and streamlined, as is the one from above, which highlights the extreme tapering of the sides which become very narrow in the area of the drains. As you know, this year's Formula 1 regulation derives precisely from the exhausts, with the prohibition of using exhaust gas blowing systems in the lower part of the single-seater, near the flat bottom, to optimize its aerodynamic performance. Probably the Red Bull, ruler of the last two World Championships also thanks to this devilry, will have already devised one for its F.1 which it will present (also on the web) on Monday 6 February. But it is undoubtedly in this area of the single-seater that the work of the Ferrari technical staff has concentrated to find the winning form.
But Ferrari's real weakness in 2011 was the difficulty in getting the Pirelli tires to the ideal operating temperature. An even more evident problem with harder compound tyres, which by regulation must be fitted at least once in the race. To remedy this handicap, the F2012 features suspension innovations (front and rear tie rods) which according to the Prancing Horse technicians and drivers should guarantee a significant contribution. Objective enhanced by the lowering of the single-seater's center of gravity, obtained thanks to an optimized arrangement of all the mechanical parts, including the 8 type 056-cylinder engine, which is to be considered a logical evolution of last season's engine.
Will all this be enough to change the direction of the wind at Ferrari? Hard to tell. And the various managers of the Cavallino were careful not to try, with the director of the team Stefano Domenicali self-limited to a "Let's hope it will be immediately competitive and successful" that tastes so much like acrobatics, not to mention a handbrake on. Legitimate, but stretched. Certainly somewhere, in the nooks and crannies under the bodywork, that technical wing must be hidden which justifies the break with the past which Ferrari has been talking about all winter. The single-seaters of the past two seasons, perhaps three, have been accused of being excessively cautious. Too little propensity to dare in the research and adoption of new technical trends. Mission which, on the contrary, followed the winning Brawn GP (now Mercedes) not without some regulatory shadow in 2009, and above all the dominating Red Bulls in 2010-2011.
At this point, as they say, the word goes to the track. Having digested the very predictable flooding of the Ferrari web (www.ferrarif1.com), stormed since early morning by enthusiasts at all latitudes, the first example of the F2012 set off aboard a suitably modified Fiat Ducato, heading south Spain. A couple of days of travel, and the new Ferrari will be in Jerez de la Frontera, where the first joint test session will begin on Tuesday in view of the F.1 World Championship which will start on March 18 in Australia. Another 19 Grands Prix will follow: a seamless procession of tests, qualifying and races that will tell us if this F2012 has the royal blood of the single-seaters that made Ferrari history in its veins, its list of victories and world championship titles still unrivaled .
