Category: Ferrari

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Ferrari Video

The LaFerrari has arrived!

LaFerrari

Finally, the LaFerrari has had its media launch, which means we have a selection of videos for you from the A-list motoring hacks who were invited to Fiorano to play.

We have videos from Autocar (Steve Sutcliffe), Car (Chris Chilton) and Evo (Dickie Meaden). The overwhelming feedback seems to be that the LaFerrari is as easy to drive as a 458 Italia. With a lot more power, of course!

Dickie Meaden says the LaFerrari offers a different and more raw experience compared with the McLaren P1, while commenting the feel under braking, when regenerative magic is feeding the electric motor, is superior to the Porsche 918.

Chris Harris has driven the car for Road & Track and says:

Throttle response is, well, electric! I’ve always wanted to say that in the literal sense. Urge is instant and entirely predictable on the throttle input. It just goes from 1500 rpm and keeps pulling, building to 9000 rpm, all the while leaving a rooster of V12 shriek that must be one of the finest noises ever created. This feels profoundly faster than the F12. Traction is superb, and the traction control allows decent slip angles without jagged throttle cuts.

Perhaps aiding the LaFerrari’s high excitement is the fact the 120kW electric motor is there solely to complement the raucous and superb sounding normally aspirated 708kW 6.2 litre V12. There’s no petrol saving electric-only mode here.

In the old money the LaFerrari has 950hp, sent only to the rear wheels, and all who have driven it so far are amazed at the throttle response and outright power. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a go yourself. Sadly, videos like these are as close as you’re going to get.

All we need now is to see who wins the race to review the LaFerrari, the 918 and the P1 in a back-to-back mega test.

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2014 Chinese Grand Prix in pictures

2014 Chinese Grand Prix

It’s okay everyone, we didn’t forget you and your love of quality Formula 1 pictures. Life just got in the way for a bit. Finally, we now bring you our selection of photos from the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix. Once again Lewis Hamilton came up trumps. He’s making a habit of this winning lark it seems and we eagerly anticipate the sport’s return to Europe to see if any of the teams can catch Mercedes.

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Ferrari

Rumour: LaFerrari XX laps Nürburgring in 6:35

LaFerrari XX

Just days before the LaFerrari has its global media launch a rumour has emerged that a track-only LaFerrari XX has lapped the Nürburgring in 6 minutes 35 seconds.

In case you were wondering, that’s a bloody quick lap time. There’s still a way to go, but we’re getting ever closer to Stefan Bellof’s 6:11 benchmark.

So what is this LaFerrari XX? Word of the even more extreme LaFerrari came earlier this month when Antonello Coletta, head of Ferrari’s Sporting Activity Department, confirmed with Drive.com.au: “We are working on the new hypercar for the circuit, the LaFerrari XX. I hope that the new car will arrive on the circuit in January or February of next year.”

Like the 599XX before it—itself a sub-7 minute Ring hero—the hybrid XX will be track-only and in some ways that renders its Nürburgring lap time irrelevant. Except it doesn’t, not to us anyway, because anything that lap the Ring well under seven minutes deserves repsect and attention. No matter what it is, no matter who can or can’t buy it.

The LaFerrari already has prodigious stats—708kW/900Nm—thanks to its 6.3 litre V12 (588kW) and HY-KERS unit (120kW). So what has Ferrari got up its sleeve for the XX version?

“It is very hard to make a car more fast than a LaFerrari but this is the challenge,” Antonello Coletta added.

“It will be more or less the same but it will be completely different the handling, because it’s normal that the handling is different for the circuit and the road.

“The power is a lot; enough! It is very hard to improve the power. The difference will be the slick tyres, the aerodynamics, the electronics, the suspension, the shock absorbers.”

[Source: Autoblog | Pic: CarPix]

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Ferrari

The cost of breaking the LaFerrari embargo

2013 LaFerrari

As the last of the big three hybrid hypercars to get its full public release the LaFerrari has won the Mexican stand-off against the Porsche 918 and McLaren P1. Ferrari now knows what it has to beat to win the schoolyard arguments.

To help win that battle the LaFerrari, like its two adversaries before it, will offer itself to the world’s leading motoring journos for judgement. For a car of this significance the media cycle is a carefully regimented process which relies on agreements between manufacturer and journalist to ensure words and images are fired off in a coordinated assault to gain maximum impact for the manufacturer. That’s the price the gilt-edged invitation brings for the motoring hack.

In the case of the LaFerrari you’re going to be reading all about it next week, from 30 April, as the first of two embargoes is lifted. Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar is one of the lucky A-listers who will be able to tell the world what he thinks about the LaFerrari from day one. He’s detailed the process in a recent blog entry, and explains a second embargo is in place for what we will call B-list media outlets.

The A-listers, those invited to the launch by Ferrari, will be free to publish their thoughts next Wednesday, while the B-listers, the outlets who will syndicate the words of Sutcliffe and his A-list mates, will have to wait another month before they can go public on 26 May. A whole month! It will be old news by then.

The issue here is that Ferrari has changed the rules slightly. Originally the B-list date was 12 May and notice to that effect had previously been issued by Ferrari. We’re not sure why the late change has been made, but as Sutcliffe explains:

“Editors of the world’s car magazines and websites that haven’t been invited to drive the car direct, and who were relying on those who have to provide words and pictures to publish on 12 May, have just gone into a complete flat spin. Hundreds of cover stories that were due to hit the streets globally about the car on or very soon after 12 May have just disappeared into the ether.”

To enforce its new media deadline Ferrari has said it will fine any journalist or media outlet who chooses to break that second embargo. It’s been reported that the cost of that fine will be €50,000.

The question now remains, would a magazine be able to recoup the cost of a €50K fine in extra sales if they go early with a LaFerrari cover story? And if an editor does choose to break the embargo, accepting the fine in the process, what’s to stop them from going live much earlier than even the original 12 May embargo?

If you’ve made it to the end of this article you may well be interested in Jalopnik’s thoughts on the embargo system, which it shared with the world in April last year.

[Source: Jalopnik]

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Ferrari Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

2014 Chinese GP: Post-race press conference

2014 Chinese Grand Prix

Before you get into the mostly routine press conference after the break, let’s take a look at what the Red Bull team statement gave us in light of another race where Sebastian Vettel was asked to let Daniel Ricciardo overtake him for track position.

Daniel Ricciardo: “With Seb, we were racing and you always want to hold on to your position, but the team radioed and he let me through. I did what I could after each stop and we improved the car; at the end I was doing all I could to catch Alonso and I think we got to within a couple of seconds of him as we went over the line. It’s going well with the team, I feel comfortable here and I did the best I could today. I really want that podium and we’re getting close!”

Sebastian Vettel: “I moved over for Daniel once I knew that we were on different strategies. When I was first asked, I didn’t understand as we were on the same tyre, unlike in Bahrain, so I double checked. When the team said we were on a different strategy, I moved over and then, as the race went on, I saw more and more that I didn’t have the pace. There was no point in holding Dan back. I’m not yet where I want to be with the car, but it’s an on-going process; hopefully at the next few races we will make some more steps in the right direction.”

Christian Horner: “Sebastian made a great start, but then appeared to go through the tyres quicker than Daniel and, after the second stop, it was apparent Seb’s degradation was particularly worse than Daniel, so we looked at switching him to a three-stop and therefore released Daniel who was very much focused on a two-stop at that point. Thereafter Daniel was able to close the gap to Alonso, but unfortunately we didn’t have enough to get onto the podium today.”

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Ferrari Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

Lewis Hamilton wins 2014 Chinese GP

2014 Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton cruising to victory has been the story of the early season so far in Formula 1 and that narrative continued in Shanghai today when Hamilton strolled to his third race win on end at the Chinese Grand Prix.

It also says something of Mercedes AMG’s dominance over the field when a comparatively bumbling Nico Rosberg, driving a car unable to transmit its telemetry back to the pit wall, was able to recover from a poor start to take an easy second place, making it the third Mercedes 1–2 in succession.

Fernando Alonso extended his reputation for delivering more than his car can give by finishing third, able to hold off a late charge from Daniel Ricciardo who came home fourth. The young Aussie once again ruffled the feathers of four-time world champ Sebastian Vettel, who finished fifth.

Around mid-race distance Ricciardo was on a two-stop strategy and at the time Vettel was planning to three-stop. With fresher tyres Daniel was closing in quickly on his more credentialled teammate and for the second race in a row an order from the team came through asking Vettel to let Ricciardo past.

Vettel’s initial response over the radio, after establishing both men were on the same tyres, was, “Tough luck!” Although, on the next lap Vettel opened the door for Daniel and the impressive youngster went through. To rub further salt into Vettel’s wound the team later switched him to a two-stop strategy.

After the excitement of Bahrain, this was not a race for the ages. The only incidents of any note came during the early stages of the opening lap when Felipe Massa and Alonso clunked wheels. Almost immediately afterwards, in a separate incident, Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas interlocked wheels. It was a stroke of good fortune for all four drivers that no damage was done and all managed to finish the race uninhibited.

That said, Felipe Massa’s chance at a stronger points haul was ruined when his Williams crew completely botched his first pit stop. To call it a comedy of errors would have been kind. In the end the Brazilian resumed the race in last place and did well to fight back to finish P9.

Reliability improved across the field, too, with only two drivers failing to finish the race. Adrian Sutil retired early with an engine problem, while the Lotus of Romain Grosjean succumbed to a gearbox failure.

Trivia buffs will be keen to note an oddity to the final result thanks to the chequered flag first being shown to Lewis Hamilton on lap 55 of the 56 lap race. That mistake meant the final classified result reverted back to the positions on lap 54.

You can see the full lap 54 positions after the break, along woth updated championship tables.

There will be a delay in our F1 in pictures gallery for this race. We expect to have the images ready for you by next weekend, or hopefully before.

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Ferrari Formula 1

Stefano Domenicali falls on his sword

Stefano Domenicali

Ferrari is staring down the barrel of another failed season, where failure is anything other than championship success. The surly faces made by President Luca di Montezemolo in Bahrain were obviously seen by Stefano Domenicali and he has officially resigned from his role as Ferrari Team Principal.

Respected F1 journo Adam Cooper covered the news of Domenicali’s departure as it broke via twitter. He’s had this to say on his blog:

Stefano Domenicali has resigned as team principal of Ferrari in the wake of the disappointing start to the team’s 2014 season.

He will be replaced by high flying Ferrari road car executive Marco Mattiacci, who will be in China next weekend.

Mattiacci worked at Jaguar/Ford before joining Ferrari in 1999. He quickly rose up the ranks to become President and CEO of Ferrari Asia Pacific in June 2006, before taking the same role at Ferrari North America in May 2010. He is clearly highly regarded within the Ferrari camp.

[Source: Adam Cooper]

UPDATE: A statement from Domenicali can be read below.

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Ferrari

It’s party time for Ferrari workers!

Ferrari production line

Ferrari workers in Maranello will be hitting the town’s bars with real intent this week after it was announced they have scored themselves bonuses totalling €4096 (AU$6040).

It’s the largest bonus scheme Ferrari has handed out to its workers and comes thanks to a record 2013 which saw the prancing horse enjoy record profits.

Despite plenty of black in the balance sheets the production schedule is actually in the red, with Ferrari taking a deliberate move to cap total production below 7000 cars annually in a bid to maintain exclusivity of the brand.

So far it seems to be working well.

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Ferrari

Ferrari Racing Days in Sydney this weekend

2013 LaFerrari

Starting on Friday the Ferrari Racing Days event will be taking over Sydney Motorsports Park right through until Sunday afternoon. This is how event organisers are describing the show:

For the first time in Australia, fans will be able to witness the Ferrari 458 Asia Pacific Challenge series and experience the thrill of the official Ferrari F1 show. For three days the circuit at Sydney Motorsport Park will erupt into life with the sound of the 458 Challenge cars, and the unmistakable roar of Ferrari Formula One cars.

In addition to the on-track racing, the weekend will also be ‘Festival of Ferrari’ with multiple showroom spaces being created to house some of the most priceless and classic Ferrari’s the world has ever seen.

Some of the models expected at the event include the F40, F50, Enzo and the world’s fastest car the LeFerrari—which will be seen in-person for the first time ever in Australia.

It’s pretty cool that a LaFerrari will be at the show, although we understand it may only be on static display, rather than spending any time on track. Still, the roar of scarlet red F1 cars screaming around Eastern Creek, among all the other attractions, is sure to drag an impressive crowd along.

If you’re keen, check out the event website for more information.

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2014 Bahrain Grand Prix in pictures

2014 Bahrain Grand Prix

It took almost 58 years for Mercedes to repeat its 1-2 podium result from 1955. And after doing so in Malaysia last week it took just seven days to do it all over again in Bahrain, a world away from the era Juan Manuel Fangio once ruled.

Lewis Hamilton collected his second win on the bounce and it seems the only thing that can stop the two Mercedes AMG drivers will be each other. If they keep up that spectacular on track dicing it won’t be too long until the pair come to blows.

After the break you can relive the first night time race in Bahrain and the 900th grand prix of the modern era.

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2014 Malaysian Grand Prix in pictures

2014 Malaysian Grand Prix

Can you believe it’s over 58 years since we saw a Mercedes driver on steps one and two of a Formula 1 podium, that was at the final race of the 1955 season, the Italian Grand Prix.

Back in 1955 Mercedes won 70% of the races in the season and Juan Manuel Fangio won the third of his five world championships. The mighty W196 silver arrow was powered by 2.5 litre straight eight producing 220kW at 8500rpm.

Now, some 21,386 days after the last Mercedes 1-2, the podium feat has been repeated. Not at a legendary racetrack in Europe, but in Malaysia. Using a 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engine mated to an arsenal of energy recovery systems that would make Fangio’s head spin. That’s if he knew what the hell it all meant in the first place.

At least we know Juan Manuel would have loved logging into AUSmotive to relive the race in pictorial form. And that’s what you can do after the break as well.

“What’s that Juan; how can you see all these photos?”

“It’s called the internet.”

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2014 Australian Grand Prix in pictures

2014 Australian Grand Prix

Here’s your first proper look at the 2014 Formula 1 cars in action. We’re lucky to get the first race in Australia and this is especially the case this season with such dramatic changes to the cars and their technology.

We’ve got over 100 photos for you to savour and, yes, we probably did get a bit carried away in the Red Bull photo archive. Although, interestingly for them, there aren’t many pics to choose from on race day showing the RB10 in full flight, so you’ve got lots of background material to admire.

Mercedes AMG has also come to the party with a better than usual selection of images as well. Which tends to be the case when one of its drivers wins a grand prix!

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