Ferrari to unveil 2012 car in early February

Friday, December 30, 2011

FIORANO, ITALY (AP) — Ferrari plans to introduce its completely revised 2012 car in early February.

Coming off a miserable season in which it won only one race, Ferrari President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo announced the team's plans late Wednesday at the automaker's Christmas party.

Fernando Alonso took Ferrari's only victory this year at the British Grand Prix in July. In the drivers' standings, Alonso placed fourth and teammate Felipe Massa was sixth.

Montezemolo says that "this year we showed we know how to lose, but now that's enough. It's time to start winning again."

In a September interview with The Associated Press, team principal Stefano Domenicali said Ferrari has been working "100 per cent" on next year's car since July.

"It's an innovative project in which you can note the detail," Montezemolo said.

The first testing session of the new season is slated for the week of February 6 in Jerez, Spain, while the opening race of 2012 is in Melbourne, Australia on March 18.

Ferrari finished third in this season's constructors' standings, trailing Red Bull and McLaren.

Montezemolo, meanwhile, did little to quell speculation that Massa will be replaced when his contract expires at the end of 2012.

The Brazilian hasn't won a race since a life-threatening accident at the Hungarian GP in 2009.

"He could continue," Montezemolo said, then added that Ferrari "always looks around.

"We were not happy with him and he wasn't happy with himself," Montezemolo said, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport. "But I'm confident that with a new car he'll be able to warm up the tires faster and be competitive again."