Scuderia Ferrari confirm 2018 car launch date

F1 Testing In Barcelona - Day Three

What's the story?

Scuderia Ferrari have announced that they will unveil their 2018 Formula One car on February 22, 2018 - four days before the first testing in Barcelona.

The Background

Ferrari is the first team to announce the launch date of their car for the next season. The vehicle for the upcoming season should be launched before the pre-season testing.

Ferrari chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne is pretty confident for the next season. He said, "Given where we started from last year, this season we have taken giant strides forward.”

The heart of the matter

Each team in Formula One has to unveil its car for the next season. A team can't compete in a new season with a car from any of the previous seasons. Also, there are always some minor or major tweaks in the rules and regulations for the upcoming F1 season.

"From back in August of last year, when we overhauled the organisation, I totally believed that these guys, with Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal and Mattia Binotto heading up the technical side, would be capable of doing something amazing."
"We really believed we could do much more: but in 2017, we were unable to reach our objectives. That has also resulted in some changes to the organisation." quips Marchionne

What's next

Champions Mercedes and other teams will soon notify the press regarding the release date of their respective cars. All teams have to reveal their car before the FIA approved testing starts in Barcelona on February 26, 2018.

Williams Martini F1 team has to confirm their driver line-up first for 2018, which they are scheduled to announce in January.

Author's take

"The Prancing Horse" has shown ominous signs by confirming the launch date well in advance. Fans are upbeat about the Italian team's chances in the next season. Critics are unsure whether Ferrari are bluffing or they have an edge in the upcoming season. The announcement has surely put pressure on the other teams to announce the release date as soon as possible.

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Edited by Tanya Rudra