Ferrari's new 248 F1 - not the end of an era says di Montezemolo

Gilles Simon's said, "the calculations were made long ago and even if the regulation changes were related to us rather late in the day, fundamental modifications such as the selection of the centre of gravity had already been made."

"The rules outline global constraints but do allow a lot of space for projectual experimentation", continued Martinelli. "The 90° angle was our choice as was settling on the minimum weight for the non-moving parts. The real challenge, however, was lightening the weight of the moving components.”

"For the first time in ten years a drop in performance was recorded and this was fundamental. The change in power meant some greater investment, but,in the long run, it will be more economical. The overall output of the engine remains unchanged and so some factors were the same as on the V10.”

Martinelli also revealed that there had been some dialogue between the engineers who work on road-going cars and those who concentrate on racing models. "We met the people who work on GTs and exchanged opinion in analysing problems and the methods to resolve them. It was by no means a one-way communication."

"We were certainly on shared ground", added Simon. "However, there are many differences, for example in our time schedules. We made a lot of input and so did they. It was a process of cross contamination.”

Todt: "The 248 will be a great stimulus for us all"

Jean Todt is the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team's Direttore Generale. Todt responded to the questions posed by the international media at the press conference to present the new 248 F1. "Seeing the new car", he began, "with the new sponsor logos and, above all, the numbers 5 and 6, is a return for us to a distant past. It will be a great incentive to improve. The entire squad wants to get back to top spot.”

As to the performance of the new car, Todt was quite cagey. He stated that he was hopeful but, at the same time, waiting for the real test against the other teams. Responding to a question regarding his future with Ferrari after 2006, the Direttore Generale preferred to stay on theme and discussed the team's chances in the coming season.

...continued