Ferrari began life after Michael Schumacher on Sunday when they unveiled their new car for the 2007 Formula One season, which they hope will reclaim the world title.
The Italian team finished second to Renault in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships last season before Schumacher retired from racing.
The seven-time world champion has stayed on with Ferrari as a consultant and will pass on his vast experience and knowledge to his replacement, Kimi Raikkonen, and the up-and-coming Felipe Massa.
Raikkonen was relishing the prospect of seeing the new car in action after it was unveiled at the team’s Maranello base near Bologna.
”It’s a beautiful car and I am very excited about seeing it on the track,” said the 27-year-old Finn. ”I can’t wait for the new season to start but I’m expecting it to be really tough, even though we will be among those in contention for the title.”
Raikkonen, who joined Ferrari at the end of last season after four years with McLaren, struggled with questions in Italian but insisted it wouldn’t be long before he came to grips with the language.
”Obviously I will learn Italian because I feel it is important to speak the language if I want to fit in properly,” he said. ”This is bound to take some time, but everybody in the team speaks English and that means we can work together straight away without any problems.
”In fact, everybody here has welcomed me and I have a good feeling about the place. It’s wonderful to be here and I don’t want to make comparisons with my past — that’s a totally different story.”
Brazilian Massa, who finished third in the drivers’ championship last year, said his first impressions of the F2007 car were very encouraging. ”The car is beautiful and I have a good feeling about it,” said the 25-year-old. ”There are lots more features, many of them which you can only see close up, but all of them are positive.
”Obviously it will take a bit of time to get used to the car, but that will come after I’ve tested it a few times.”
The F2007 features new front suspension and is more sculpted in shape than its predecessor, with a narrower rear end and longer wheelbase making it more aerodynamic. — Sapa-AFP